FROM MONTREAL TO VIMY 
RIDGE AND BEYOND 



THE CORRESPONDENCE OF 

LIEUT. CLIFFORD ALMON WELLS,B.A. 

OF THE 8TH BATTALION CANADIANS, B. E. F. 
NOVEMBER 1915— APRIL 1917 



Edited by O. C. S. WALLACE, D.D., LL.D. 



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FROM MONTREAL TO 

VIMY RIDGE AND 

BEYOND 

THE CORRESPONDENCE OF 

LIEUT. CLIFFORD ALMON WELLS, B.A. 

OF THE 8TH BATTALION, CANADIANS, B.E.F. 

NOVEMBER, 1915— APRIL, 1917 

EDITED BY 

O. C. S. WALLACE, D.D., LL.D. 

PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH OF WESTMOUNT, DISTRICT 
OF MONTREAL, CANADA 




NEW YORK 
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 






COPYRIGHT, 1917, 
BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 



NOV I0I917'..'-' 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



©n!,A479029 



INSCRIBED TO THE MEMORY OF 

FRANCES BARBARA MOULE WELLS- WALLACE 

THE INCOMPARABLE MOTHER OP 
ONE OP THE NOBLEST OP SONS 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND EXPLANA- 
TORY NOTE 

Clifford Almon Wells was born in Toronto, 
Canada, March 12th, 1892. He was the 
youngest son of Professor James Edward 
Wells, M.A., LL.D., and Frances Barbara 
Moule, his wife. Professor Wells, educa- 
tionist, editor and publicist, died when Clif- 
ford was six years old. When he was 
twelve years old his mother became the wife 
of the Reverend O. C. S. Wallace, D.D., 
LL.D., at that time the Chancellor of McMas- 
ter University, Toronto. When he was eigh- 
teen years old he enrolled as an under- 
graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Balti- 
more, his stepfather being then the pastor of 
the First Baptist church of that city. Four 
years later, when he received the degree of 
Bachelor of Arts, his ability in the acquisition 
of knowledge and his skill in teaching having 
given a clear indication of what his vocation 
should be, he entered upon graduate work in 
the department of Archaeology in his Alma 
Mater, in preparation for the degree of Doc- 

vii 



Vlll BIOGRAPHICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTE 

tor of Philosophy and to qualify for university 
teaching. In 1915, on the completion of one 
year of graduate study, he was awarded a Fel- 
lowship, and so marked had been his progress, 
and so evident his exceptional ability, that his 
future seemed especially promising. During 
the summer of 1915 he decided that it was his 
duty to relinquish his Fellowship, abandon his 
studies, and take his part as a Canadian in the 
European war. In September he enlisted as a 
Private in the 4th University Company, one of 
the reinforcing companies of the famous Prin- 
cess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Al- 
though without previous military training his 
advancement was rapid, and when his company 
went overseas in November he was a Platoon 
Sergeant, and two months later received his 
commission as a Lieutenant in the P. P. C. 
L. I. Later he was transferred to the 8th Bat- 
talion. His perfect health, physical strength 
and endurance, exceptional intelligence, and 
great diligence and conscientiousness in what- 
ever task he undertook, may be regarded as the 
explanation of the quick transformation of the 
quiet student and book-lover into the efficient 
soldier. 

His letters cover a period of eighteen 
months. They were written in railway cars 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTE IX 

and on board ship; in tents in England, Bel- 
gium and France; in huts, shacks, furnace 
rooms and ruined houses ; in London boarding 
houses and hotels ; in French farm-houses, and 
German dugouts; in the midst of the awful 
clamors and crashings and thunders of artil- 
lery, and within sound of the coughing of a sick 
German in the front line of enemy trenches. 

He wrote of things which others have writ- 
ten about ; of things which pleased him, and of 
other things which displeased him, most of 
these relating to the commonplace of life. But 
in addition to the commonplace there will be 
found in these letters a surprising variety of 
topics, and withal such graphic descriptions, 
thrilling or amusing stories, and information on 
many matters of interest to all who have 
friends overseas that the letters will both enter- 
tain and enlighten. 

' His last dated letter was written the 20th 
day of April, 1917, eleven days after the bat- 
tle of Vimy Ridge. Thankful because he had 
had a part in that battlcj exultant and confi- 
dent in view of the great victory, he bade his 
mother not to be disquieted or alarmed for him. 
Before this letter reached her she had received 
official notice that he had been killed in action 
the 28th day of April. Eight days later she. 



X BIOGRAPHICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTE 

who had always been the embodiment of health, 
sitt'ength and an abounding and radiant life, 
was fatally burned in a tragic accident, which 
could not have occurred had not her mind been 
pre-occupied with thoughts of Clifford. She 
died in JNIontreal, May the 20th, twenty-two 
days after the death of her son in France. 

No son can read these letters without finding 
in them a call to nobility of character and hero- 
ism of spirit; and no mother can read them 
without realizing that such letters could be 
written only to a mother who represented the 
highest type of patriotic and Christian woman- 
hood. 

The letters, other than those addressed to his 
mother, are of two classes. There are letters 
which, though addressed to other members of 
the family, were intended equally for her, and 
a number of letters of a different character ad- 
dressed to his brother George. The latter are 
inserted in order that a more complete picture 
may be given of his experiences on the battle- 
field than he wished his mother to see. 

To make certain allusions intelligible to 
readers outside of tlie circle of the family and 
intimate friends the following information is 
given: Professor Wells had a family by his 
first wife, of which Emma, Frank and Arthur 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTE XI 

were living when these letters were written. 
Dr. Wallace had two children by his first wife, 
who are referred to by their abbreviated names 
of liae and Croy. He refers to his own broth- 
ers, the sons of his mother, as George and Ned. 
"Molly" was his pet name for his mother. 

He and a Hopkins classmate spent their 
holidays one summer as deckhands on a 
freighter on the Great Lakes : this explains his 
reference to his "life as a sailor." Other allu- 
sions relate to a visit which his mother and he 
made to England, France and Germany dur- 
ing his summer holidays in 1913. 

For the editor to have used a heavy hand 
upon these letters, cutting out personal allu- 
sions, and the expression of opinion and criti- 
cisms which later might have been modified, 
would have been to rob them of much of their 
piquancy and human quality. This is why they 
are published as they were written. 

Westmount, P. Q. 
July, 1917. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Lieut. Clifford Almon Wells, 8th Cana- 
dian Infantry, France, Summer, 1916 

Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Clifford Almon Wells, B.A., Johns Hop- 
kins University, June, 1914 . • . 32 



FROM MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE 
AND BEYOND 



NOVEMBER, 1915 

In Montreal — Montreal to Halifax — Perplexities of a 
Platoon Sergeant — "Till the Boys Come Home" — 
Apples and Enthusiasm in the French Villages of 
Quebec— On the S. S. "Lapland." 

Montreal, Nov. 2nd, 1915. 
My dear George, 

Just a note to let you know that the 4th Uni- 
versity Company, being recruited overstrength 
already, has received orders to be ready to sail 
on the 11th. I believe we shall leave on the 
13th, but no one knows the time definitely yet, 
except that it will be some time after the 11th. 
Thousands of troops sail from Montreal every 
month without any one being any the wiser. 
Trains come in at night, stop on the wharf 
alongside the transports and by daybreak the 
men are on the way. So it will be with us. We 
shall slip away some night and Montreal will 
wake up in the morning and find us gone. 

There have been no anti-recruiting riots 
here. I am surprised at your question. At one 
French recruiting meeting some time ago, there 
was a slight expression of hostility at the idea 

17 



18 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

of conscription which one of the speakers was 
supposed to be advocating. As I remember 
the incident, the crowd, learning or guessing 
that the objectors were followers of the Na- 
tionalist Henri Bourassa, who lifts up his head 
and yelps against Canada's participation in 
any Imperial activities, started to storm the 
printing office of Bourassa's journal, Le De- 
voir, but were driven off by the police. Possi- 
bly a distorted version of this incident is what 
caused your question. I believe that the 
French Canadian battalions fill up more slowly 
than the English, but that is not to be won- 
dered at. A great impetus has been given to 
recruiting in Canada by a recent regulation 
that troops will be trained in every centre 
where a certain number are enlisted. That is, 
men enlisting in small towns and country 
places will not immediately be moved off to 
large cities or camps. In the first three days 
after this order was promulgated by Sam 
Hughes, 15,000 men enlisted in Canada. Can- 
ada has just decided to raise 100,000 more men, 
and cities all over the country are asking per- 
mission to raise battalions. The large number 
of men enlisted from the far west is surprising 
to me. 

I am no longer a private, but have been 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 19 

made Lance-Corporal. I hope to be Corporal 
or Sergeant before sailing. On Monday I was 
transferred to the Machine Gun section. After 
thinking the matter over, I went to the Lieu- 
tenant in charge of the section and told him 
that as I had no special liking for mechanical 
work, and as I was hoping to get a commission 
later on, I would prefer to continue in the 
ranks. He agreed that chances for a commis- 
sion were not so good in the M. G. section, as 
of course fewer officers are required there, al- 
though the importance and the number of M. 
G. sections is continually increasing ; and so he 
transferred me back to the ranks. Although 
my rank is only that of Lance-Corporal, I act 
as Sergeant every day, and often as Lieuten- 
ant. The N. C. O.'s for the company have to 
be obtained by promotion from the ranks, and 
being made a Lance-Corporal simply means 
that if I make good there I will be further pro- 
moted. 

The city just swarms with soldiers at pres- 
ent, as two full battalions have been sent back 
from the camp at Valcartier, which is closed 
for the winter. The 60th which was recruiting 
when you were here sails this week. The 73rd 
is up to strength also, and the 87th has begun 
to recruit. The battery in which Gordon 



20 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

Crossley is, is also up to strength and will sail 
with the 4th University Company. They will 
go to Aldershot to be trained in the use of 
heavy artillery. They are not sending any 
more 18 pounders from Canada. 

There are a hundred other things I should 
like to tell you, but must stop now. My whole 
energy is devoted to my work, and my only am- 
bition on earth is to win a commission. If I 
don't get one, I don't want to come back. If 
I do get one, I shall be better pleased to have 
earned it by rising from the ranks than if I had 
obtained one before leaving Canada. 

Recruiting is brisker to-day in Canada than 
it has been since the first months of the war. 
Canada is doing her full share and so is Eng- 
land. Do not let any one make you disbelieve 
that. 

By the way, one interesting fact a wounded 
officer told us yesterday in a lecture: He saw 
^ captured German gas helmets with the date 
\ 1911 stamped on them. You know the Ger- 
mans claimed that the use of gas by them had 
not been contemplated or even thought of be- 
fore the war ; that the French began it and they 
simply imitated them — most accomplished liars 
they are. 

Well, I must zu Bett gehen. Give my love 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 21 

to Mildred and Barbara, and write when you 
find time. Send your letters care of Dr. Wal- 
lace until you get my address at ShornclifFe, 
England. Cliff. 

Friday, Nov. 26th, 1915, 7,20 P. M. 
Near Campbell ton, N, B, 
Dearest INIother, 

You probably are thinking of me as in Hali- 
fax, but we shall not be there until 10 o'clock 
to-morrow morning. We did not leave Mon- 
treal until nearly 11 o'clock, as we waited (in 
the yards near St. Henry) for several carloads 
of troops from Winnipeg to join us. After I 
got on the train, I was very busy for nearly an 
hour. I should have had 48 men in my car, but 
found 49, and it took a long time to find the 
extra man who had sneaked in from another 
car in order to be with his brother. I had no 
sooner got him routed out than I found only 
47 in the car. This made the whole company 
a man short; but finally I found that a man 
had got permission to distribute parcels, the 
Lieutenant supposing he meant in his own car, 
but he thinking he had permission to go 
through the whole train. Finally we got every- 
thing straightened out, and sentries posted at 
the doors, no one except the Officers and Pla- 



22 IVIONTKEAL TO VI MY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

toon Sergeants being allowed to pass from car 
to car without special permission. 

My breakfast this morning was eaten with 
the men. I had to appoint 6 Mess Orderlies 
to go for the food and bring it to our car. We 
liad porridge, fish, hash, coff*ee, baked potatoes: 
not elegantly served, but wholesome. Lunch 
and dinner I ate with the other Sergeants in 
the dining-car. The train stopped long enough 
at Riviere du Loup this morning, and at JMont 
Joli this afternoon, for us to get half an hour's 
exercise out-doors. I had quite a fine dinner 
to-night — soup, fish, turkey, mince-pie, coffee: 
the men had soup and beef stew and rice pud- 
ding. It is not so bad to be a Sergeant. 

I miss home, of course, very much, but have 
been so busy to-day that I have not had much 
chance to be homesick. The officers ride in the 
Pullman, leaving the Platoon Sergeants to 
look after the cars. I am being called upon all 
the time to settle some question or other, ap- 
pointing sentries, etc. Private Jones w^ants to 
get out at this station to meet friends ; private 
Smith at that; private Jackson has an ingrow- 
ing toenail and must see the doctor; private 
Robinson has been on fatigue three days this 
week and wants to be relieved, etc., etc., ad 
infinitum. 



MONTREAL TO VI MY RIDGK AND IJEYONl) 23 

Will you ask Croy to get a copy of the song, 
"Till the Boys Come Home," and send it to 
"Jimmy" Brown at the Fraternity House, 
1420 Madison Ave., Balto. Tell him that I 
have left, and that this is the favourite march- 
ing song of my company, which the hoys might 
like to add to the list of songs which they sing 
on Saturday nights at the frat. house. The 
song in question ends with the words: "Turn 
the dark clouds inside out till the boys come 
home." It is a fine marching song. 

Last night, sleeping without mattress or 
blankets, reminded me of my sailor days, which 
will prove a great help to me. 

I suppose you all miss me a great deal, and, 
of course, I shall miss you. But I think I made 
no mistake in enlisting when I did, and in en- 
listing in this company. Another Sergeant has 
been appointed in the company, a qualified 
lieutenant. 

Well, good-night, Mother. Love to Father 
and Rae and Croy. 

Clifford. 

P. S. There is a lot of snov/ in this part 
of the country — splendid sleighing. The little 
French villages thro' which we marched when 
exercising to-day were very quaint, and very 
enthusiastic, giving us lots of apples, etc. 



1? I< MON rUF.AL TO VI MV KlDlJl': ANM HKVONI) 

Transport ''iMpJancV 
Sat., Nov. :J7, I!)ir>. 
4.S0 1\ M. 
Dearest IMotiier, 

We reached Halifax about 2 hours ago, and 
eanie aboard the "Lapland" ahnost imme- 
diately. 1 have very eomi'ortable 2nd elass 
quarters with 8 other Sgts of the company. 
There are many other troops on board, over 
4,()()() it is rumoured. 

The journey to Halifax was very interest- 
ing — some beautiful scenery. Did you get a 
letter mailed in Campbellton? I do not know 
how many minutes I have to tinish this letter; 
oiH- company was the last to come aboard; so 
perhaps 1 had better close in ord<?r to make 
sure of mailing it. It is just a note to let you 
know I am safe aboard ship, and in excellent 
health. 

AVith love and in great haste, 

Clifford. 

P. S. After I boarded the train the other 
day, I was so busy that I had not nuich chance 
to see if you were still there. AVhen 1 did look 
T could not see you and supposed you had gone 
home. I was glad to see you and father there. 



DECEMBER, VjlTj 

2000 Troops Aboard — Seasick Sergeants — In the Dan- 
ger Zone — At Sliorncliffe — Dis;ipj)ointrnent — Ser- 
geants' Mess — Busy and Contented — Jterninded of 
Dante's Jnff;rno — Guarding the Folkestone Reservoir 
— Description of Landing at JMymouth — Church 
I'arades — Rain, Mud, and more Rain and Mud — 
Handling the Hard Drinkers — Commissions by 
"Pull." 

S.S. ''Lapland" 

Dec, :ird, 1015, 
My dear Father, 

One of the things I forgot to bring with me 
is note paper, and so I am writing to you on 
the company's stationery. If mother received 
a letter written on the train, and another writ- 
ten just after boarding the "I^apland," there 
is h'ttle additional news to tell. We reached 
Halifax Saturday afternoon, and boarded the 
transport almost immediately. There are 
about 2,000 f)ther troops aboard, 'i'he 37th 
Battalion from the West, the 92nd High- 
landers, units of the A. S. C, Cyclists, etc. 
The Sergeants have first class staterooms and 
grub, and so I am living very comfortably. 

25 



2() INrOXTREAI. TO VIMY KIDGK AND BF.YONl) 

In the presence of the other units, the distinc- 
tion between N. C. O.'s and privates is more 
marked than it was in JNlontreal, also the dis- 
tinction between Officers and N. C. O.'s. Many 
of the men and three of our six Sergeants have 
been sick. I have not been ill at all, and con- 
sequently have been doing double duty as 
orderly Sergeant. 

To-day we are fairly in the danger zone. 
Our company's machine gun is mounted aft, 
while other guns are mounted forward. The 
decks are lined with men armed with rifles. So 
we are all ready for submarines. To-night 
every man must sleep on deck by the life-boat 
or raft to which he has been assigned. All 
portholes are darkened at night and every pre- 
caution is taken to render the ship invisible. 
In spite of all precautions I learned something 
not generally known aboard, viz. : that rockets 
were set off from the stern by parties iniknown 
two nights ago. Thus, it seems, we have spies 
aboard — not in my company, I believe, al- 
though spies were found in the 2nd University 
Co. 

I do not expect to have any further oppor- 
tunity to write until we reach England; so I 
shall close and seal this letter now, and mail it 
at the first opportunity. I have been so busy 



MONTRKAI. TO VIMY K1J)GE AND IJEVONI) 27 

since leaving Montreal that 1 am homesick 
only at odd intervals. It is a good thing to be 
kept busy when away from home. 

Will you please buy and mail to me as soon 
as possible, a book by Major Papineau called 
"Quelques Notes a I'Usage des Officiers d'ln- 
fantry." It was published originally in 
French, but there is an English edition ("A 
Few Notes for the Use of Infantry Officers") 
by the Imperial Publishing Co. of Halifax. I 
should prefer the English edition, which I 
think can be obtained at any book store. I 
should like mother to paste an envelope in the 
back of the book for notes as she used to do in 
my school-books. With it I should like also 
the "Oxford Book of English Verse" from my 
book case. This last is a valuable book, but I 
think that it will be doing more good in pro- 
viding literary recreation for me at the front, 
even if sul)ject to hard usage, than in resting 
on my shelf at home. 

I hope every one at home is well and happy. 

With love for all, I am. 

Your affectionate son, 

Clifford A. Wells. 

I enclose a five dollar bill to cover cost of 
book and postage and provide a little Christ- 



28 jMONTKEAL to \IM\ KIDCJK AM) liFA'ONl) 

nias present for mother, whatever you may 
select. 

C. A. W. 
I also enclose a few pages of my diary, 
which I wish you would read and keep for me. 

St. 3Iartins Plain, 

Sh orn ciiffc, E ngla n d, 

December 9, 1915, 
Dearest INIother, 

Please excuse pencil, as I am in haste and 
have not my pen with me at the moment. I 
have been here since 2 A. INl., JNIonday morn- 
ing, but this is actually the first opportunity 
I have had to write a letter. Platoon Ser- 
geants are kept very busy here, not a spare 
moment from Reveille at ().30 until Lights Out 
at 9.45. The N. C. O.'s of our company are 
in an N. C. O.'s class, and each must qualify 
for his rank over again. 

It has rained steadily, with an intermission 
yesterday, ever since we reached Plymouth 
Sunday morning until now^ The camp is one 
sea of mud — such mud as I never dreamed of 
before. I never shine my shoes now, as the 
first step out of the hut buries them in 3 or 4« 
inches of slime. We are quartered in huts 
which hold about 40 men each, I have a little 



MONTKKAL TO VIMY KIDGK AND JJKYOXJ) 29 

roorii to myself in the corner, and a Corporal is 
in charge of the hut and is responsible to me 
for its good oi"der. The sti-eets in Shorncliffe 
are very dimly lighted by night on account of 
the danger from Zepps, and every window in 
every hut is coverc^d with a blanket when the 
lights are switched on. Outside it is pitch 
dark, and one wallows in mud and water when 
compelled to go out at night. I have not had 
time to go to the town of ShornclifFe, or to 
Folkestone (close by), and have not set foot 
outside the camp since I have been here. 

I have bad news in one respect. An order 
has been passed by which no more Canadian 
soldiers are given commissions in the Imperial 
Army except when a Colonel applies to have 
a certain man as an officer in his command. 
There is consequently a good deal of dissatis- 
faction in our company, as many of us were 
practically jjromised commissions when we en- 
listed. If Major Hickson is still living, and 
you could write him in my behalf, it might help 
me, also any one else whom you or father may 
know, who might have influence. Another 
cause of dissatisfaction is that our officers are 
going to be taken away from us and sent to a 
training school. We are attached to the 11th 
Reserve Battalion and drafts of the best quali- 



30 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

lied men will be picked out from time to time 
and sent to reinforce the P. P. C. L. I. Thus 
we have lost our hopes of getting commissions 
straightway, and are going to lose our officers 
and our individuality as a Company. How- 
ever, we must make the best of it. Many men 
are in the same iix as I am, and are writing 
right and left to try to get the pull which they 
formerly were led to believe was unnecessary 
to get a commission. 

I shall write again as soon as possible, and 
shall send some sheets of my diary ( I am sev- 
eral days behind at present), which will give 
a better idea of my surroundings. We get 
plenty of sleep and have good food. Corporals 
and privates eat in the huts, Sergeants in the 
Sgts JNIess. I would much rather eat in the 
hut with the men, as they are much more con- 
genial than the Sgts with whom we eat. The 
Sgts are mostly much older than our Ser- 
geants, and are inclined to look down upon 
us as kids, and to be jealous of us as belonging 
to the University Co. at the same time. 

I have many things to tell you, but as I 
want to mail this to-night I must close now. 
I am in perfect health, and am too busy to be 
unhappy. In fact I am enjoying many things 
very much, and when we are thoroughly set- 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 31 

tied I shall have more time to write and to 
enjoy myself here. I have been expecting a 
letter for some time, but none has arrived yet. 
You had better address them: 

Sgt. Wells P. P. C. L. I. 475272, 
St. Martin's Plain, 

ShornclifFe, England. 
With much love to all, I am, 

as ever, 

Clifford. 

P. S. Of course I might get a commission 
after being at the front, even if I go there 
without one. 

St. Martins Plain, 
Shorncliff e , December 12, 1915, 
Dearest Mother, 

It is 12.30 Sunday afternoon, and at last I 
have a chance to write a letter. This has been 
the busiest week of my life. From Reveille 
at 6.30 until Lights Out at 9.45 I have been 
continually on the go. A great deal of exec- 
utive work falls on the Platoon Sergeants. 
Each evening I hoped to be able to wTite, but 
as soon as I would settle down, something 
would turn up to prevent me from completing 
the letter. I told you in my hastily penned 
epistle a few days ago that the wholesale deal- 



fi2 MOyniKAl. TO YI.AIY IUDGE and 15FA0N1) 

\ug out of commissions wliich Capt. Eve told 
us would take place when we reached England 
is not coming to pass, and that I would like 
you to write to any influential people you may 
know in my behalf. I did this on Mr. Higgin's 
advice. It is true that probably none of our 
company will get commissions during our stay 
in England without the exercise of "pull," but 
it is also true (as I have learned since) that 
several members of previous I^niversity com- 
panies have been sent back from the front after 
''making good'' there, and given commissions 
in Canadian forces in England. So, if you 
have not found any influential people to work 
on, as you probably have not, do not worry 
about it. 1 shall be quite content to go to the 
front as an N. C. O. and a commission won on 
the firing line w^ould be more desirable than one 
gained in any other w^ay. It was disappoint- 
ing, however, to have the commission, which 
was practically promised in ]\Iontreal, and on 
which I counted, snatched out of my mouth at 
the last minute by the new order, the reason for 
which I do not know. If Canadians may not 
become officers in the Imperial ^Vrmy unless 
specially asked for by a Colonel, it means that 
far fewer Canadians will become officers at all. 
My diary, if legible, will give you a general 




CLTFFORIJ ALMON WKLLS, H.A.. 

JOHNS HOPKINS UN IVKRSITV, JUNK. 1914 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 33 

idea of what I have been doing since we 
reached England. The arranging of the men 
in the huts, furnishing guards and picquets, 
and estabhshing the general routine of camp 
life has kept me busy. The Canadian mail has 
just come in and I received father's letter 
dated Nov. 29. I have not heard from you 
yet, but suppose I shall in the next Canadian 
mail. 

Although it is mid-December the fields here 
are green, and many vegetables and flowers are 
growing in the gardens. Where we drill we 
have a beautiful view of the North Sea (or is 
it the Channel? I really do not know where 
ShornclifFe is on the map) . As the herbage is 
so green, it cannot be very cold ; but it certainly 
feels cold. The fog and continual rain make 
it very different from a Montreal winter. 

I had intended to send in this letter a sum 
of money to be expended by you in getting 
Christmas presents for the family, b^ ' the 
amount of my assigned pay is deducted from 
this month's pay to be held as a guarantee; so 
I am short of funds. If you would get a re- 
membrance of some sort for the family for me, 
for New Year's, if this letter does not reach 
you in time for Christmas, I should be much 
obliged. 



84< ]M()N'rin:Ai, 'lo vniv kidcjk and bkyond 

1 have been having a much better time than 
I expected to have. I hope things are going 
well at home. I wish yon, mother dear, and 
father, a happy Christmas and New Year, and 
the same to all the rest. I shall try to send a 
card to each, but should like you to get a 
little remembrance beside. 

Remember Emma especially, 

Clifford. 

St, Martiiis Plain, 

Shorndiffc, England, 
Becemhcr 15, 1915, 
JNIy dear Father, 

Your letter dated November 25 reached me 
the day before yesterday, two or three days 
after your letter of the 29th. I do not know 
the reason for the delay. I have not yet re- 
ceived any message from mother since leaving 
JNIontreal. 

This week our company is doing "brigade 
duty," i, €., is furnishing guards, picquets (po- 
lice) and fatigues for the camp. On INlonday 
I was sent with a Corporal and 12 men to 
guard a large store house containing govern- 
ment stores of hay, straw, etc. For the guard 
house we had a little shack about 7 ft. square, 
with no light, and heated only by a large 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGK AND IJKYOXI) 35 

bucket of coals suspended from the roof in the 
centre. This brazier smoked so terribly that I 
recalled the habits of our Saxon forbears, and 
sent a man up on the roof to chop a hole to 
let the smoke out. Before I did this the only 
exit for smoke as well as men, was the door. 
At night those who were not on "sentry go" 
at the time sat along the walls, around the 
fire, and told stories, etc., until about 10 
o'clock, when I sent some of them to the barn 
to sleep. I had to stay in our official guard- 
room. I visited the sentries two or three times 
during the night, and toward morning got a 
couple of hours sleep. When I woke up, I 
found that the men who had gone to the barn 
had come back to get warm. They had built 
up a blazing fire in the perforated bucket, and 
the room was so smoky that I could not see 
the doorway. When I opened my eyes (my 
face being toasted and my back numb with 
cold), the sight that greeted my eyes — the 
lurid flames from the pot, the rolling choking 
clouds of smoke, and the muffled figures 
crouched around — looked so much like a cor- 
ner of Dante's Inferno, that when I pointed 
out the resemblance every one had a good 
laugh, which did us a lot of good. When we 
were relieved by the next day's guard, we were 



36 INIONTREAT. TO YOIY RIDGK AND liKYOND 

a very smoky, imuldy, iinshavcd guard. Every 
guard that is sent to the place comphiins about 
it, but nothing is ever done to improve condi- 
tions — perhaps because the training is good for 
us. Our shack must resemble a trench dugout 
in manj^ ways. To-day I have the responsible 
duty of guarding the Folkestone Reserv'^oir and 
Water Works. I have a Corporal and 24 men 
under me. I am writing this letter in the 
engine room of the pumping station, which is 
warm and dr5^ I am sending a card showing 
the Reservoir. We have about 400 rounds of 
ammunition here, and are all ready for any one 
who might try to tamper with the water sup- 
ply of the town and camp. It rains almost 
continually, and the cold is very penetrating, 
although the temperature is not low. The peo- 
ple here say it is the rainiest season in 40 
years, and attribute the fact to the continuous 
heavy gun fire across the channel, whence the 
clouds come. The food they give us is excel- 
lent — not daintily served, but good in quality. 
The meat always tastes fresh and wholesome, 
and for dinner we usually have a rice pudding, 
or something of that sort, which is at once sub- 
stantial and appetising. 

I am more than ever glad I enlisted when I 
did. In England one rarely sees a young man 



MONTREAL TO VIMY KIUGE AND BEYOXJJ 37 

in mufti. I would not like to be one of the very 
last to volunteer. I think I waited just about 
long enough. 

Aeroplanes often fly over the camp. They 
are used to detect and destroy submarines. 
The Xorth Sea is so shallow that a submarine, 
even if resting on the bottom, is easily visible 
to an aerial observer. The aeroplanes, after 
locating a sub., proceed to drop bombs which 
burst thirty feet under water. 

It was an inspiring sight the day we landed 
to come into Plymouth Harbour, where Drake 
was bowling when told that the Spanish Ar- 
mada was in sight, and see it crowded with 
vessels of all kinds. Little tugs with machine 
guns in the bow, and mine sweepers going out 
in pairs; submarines were buoyed here and 
there, and destroyers anchored around. The 
*'Lapland" anchored in mid-harbour; the 
troops were unloaded in tenders. I shall never 
forget seeing tender after tender leave the 
ship, each crowded with troops, and every man 
among them a volunteer who had come thou- 
sands of miles just to fight for old England. 

Well, I must close now as it is time to 
inspect the next relief before they go to their 
posts. Your affectionate son, 

Clifford. 



38 IMONTKKAL TO VmV MWaV. AND lUsVONl) 

St. 3[ariiii\s Plain, 
ShonicUll'c, 

Christmas Day, 1915. 
Dearest INIother, 

It is the evening of Christmas Day, and I 
must send you a. note befVn-e I go to bed. I 
have your note of Dee. 3rd, and also Dee. 8th, 
whieh arrived to-day — a weleome Christmas 
gift. This morning we had Church parade. 
There are always 3 parades to Chureh — one 
to the Chureh of England, one for the Koman 
Catholies, and one for Presbyterians, JNIethod- 
ists. Baptists, etc. To-day the 'Tresbyterian'' 
parade went to the Baptist Church at Cheriton. 
It was the first Chureh service I have attended 
since leaving IMontreal, having always hap- 
pened to be on guard or some other duty on 
Sunday hitherto. After Church parade we 
had a real turkey dinner; and no parade this 
afternoon, Avhen I enjoyed the luxury of a 
nap. To-morrow I go on guard again at the 
Forage Barn which I described to you in a 
former letter. I had applied for leave of ab- 
sence next week, and had hoped to get up to 
London for a few days to get clean and dry 
once more, but my leave was cancelled on ac- 
count of our company furnishing the Brigade 
guards, etc., a^ain next week. 



MOX'JRKAL ^JO VJMY KJDGK AND JiKVOXiJ IV.) 

It is still raining here and I envy you your 
snow in Montreal. I have been thinking of 
home to-day — as every day — and hope to 
spend next Christmas there. There is nothing 
that I need especially. Parcels are very slow 
in arriving here. All the men are expecting 
parcels which they believe are on the way. By 
the way, I received Mrs. Bates' book, and will 
send a card thanking her for it. 

Well, good bye, ]\Iolly. ^luch love and a 
Ilajjpy Xew Year to all, 

Clifford. 

St. Martins- Plain, 
Shorncliffe, 

December ^.9, 1015, 
My dear Father, 

Your letter of Dec. 7th reached me safely. 
The "Lapland" sailed from Xew York to 
Halifax, and then from Halifax to Plymouth ; 
hence the announcement that she had arrived 
"from Xew York." 

We are having another w^ek of "brigade 
duties," and I have just returned from guard 
at the Folkestone .Water Works again. I had 
applied for leave to visit London this week, but 
my leave was cancelled on account of being 
on various guards all w^eek. Xext w^eek we 



M) MONTKKAL TO VI MY KIDGK AM) liFA'OXl) 

shall begin our course of training in musketry, 
and I shall not get any leave till that is ended. 
If I have an opportunity to specialise in any 
line, I shall choose musketry. It is verj^ in- 
teresting, there being far more to learn than I 
ever imagined: the various kinds of fouling 
that may befall a rifle; the numerous elements 
which tend to deflect the bullet from its true 
course, etc. 

We expect to be here about 10 weeks, after 
which drafts will be sent to the front as they 
are needed. 

For several hours yesterday it did not rain. 
A high w4nd sprang up, and to-day things are 
noticeably drier. In places about the camp, 
however, one sinks into mud over one's boot- 
tops. 

On Christmas Day I went to church for the 
first time since leaving home. Every Sunday 
hitherto I have been on duty of some kind or 
other, and unable to go to church. To-day I 
received a copy of the Montreal Gazette from 
you. I have JNIrs. Bates' book also ; but apart 
from these (and a copy of the 31 ail received 
some time ago), no parcels of any sort have 
reached me. It is reported that a carload of 
Christmas mail for soldiers was accidentally 
burned, and possibly some mail intended for 



,MOX'J KKAJ> TO VJMY KliJGK ANfJ liKVOXD 41 

me was destroyed. Many of the men in my 
hut are exjxicting parcels which should have 
reached them some time ago. 

By chance, most of the hard drinkers in the 
company sleep in my hut. My experience on 
the Great Lakes three years ago is invahaable 
to me. I have practically no trouble with the 
men. Drunk or sober they obey me promptly, 
and apparently willingly. 

Several of the privates in the company have 
secured commissions already through "pull," 
but none of the X. C. O.'s have done so. Those 
who have thus become officers are not all of a 
very efficient type. The X. C. O.'s of the com- 
pany are merely Acting-X. C. O.'s over here. 
Our rank will not be confirmed until we have 
"made good" at the front. 

It is amazing how dark Shomcliffe and 
P'olkestone are by night — all window^s covered 
and the street lights very dim. Outside the 
huts, the windows of which are covered with 
blankets as soon as the lights are turned on, 
the camp is pitch dark by night. 

I am glad things are going well at the 
Church. You may be sure I still take an 
interest in it, and often remember it. 
Your affectionate son, 

Clifford A. Wells. 



JANUARY, 1916 

On Leave in London — Dark Streets — A Zepp Alarm — 
The Question of a Commission — Luxury of Sleeping 
Beyond the Sound of Bugles — An Indignant Young 
Lieutenant — Christmas Parcels — Canadian Fists for 
the Taming of Recalcitrant German Prisoners — 
Proficiency of British with the Rifle — 
Frozen Mud — Canned Heat — Spies on Ships — Sub- 
marines — Musketry Practice — Captain John Collins' 
Vocabulary — "Imbecile Sons of Montreal Million- 
aires" — Commissioned Without "Pull" in the Prin- 
cess Pats — A Call for Hair Brushes. 

London, Jan, 7th, 1916. 
Deaeest Mother, 

I have secured five days' leave and have 
come to London to get clean and dry, and 
rested once more. I am stopping at a nice 
boarding house off Russell Square (not very 
far from Miss Jackson's where we stopped two 
years ago). I have a clean airy room, well 
lighted and with a fire-place. For bed and 
breakfast I pay two shillings. What makes 
it so cheap I cannot understand. I have bet- 
ter accommodations than I had at Miss Jack- 
son's, and pay less than half as much. Bed 
and breakfast by the week here is only ten 

42 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 43 

shillings. If I remember aright I paid 26 
shillings a week at Miss Jackson's for an unat- 
tractive room on the third floor. The food here 
is quite as good as at Miss Jackson's. 

It is reported that two carloads of mail from 
Canada w^re accidentally burned. I have re- 
ceived only one letter since Christmas ; so per- 
haps some of my mail was destroyed ; although 
it may have only been delayed by the Christ- 
mas rush. 

London is the same as ever, except that it is 
full of soldiers, and is very dark by night. So 
many accidents occur in the darkened streets 
that people complain they would be safer with 
the streets lighted in spite of the danger from 
Zepps. Raids by Zepps seem to be more 
numerous than the Canadian papers would 
lead one to believe. Almost every day one 
hears of some new raid, but the damage done 
is usually slight, and little alarm seems to be 
felt. Last Wednesday I was Orderly Ser- 
geant for our Company. About 7.30 in the 
evening the bugle call for all the Orderly Ser- 
geants sounded from the Battalion headquar- 
ters, followed by the call which means "at the 
double." So I ran dow^n to headquarters, and 
there the Orderly Sergeants of the various 
companies were told that Zepps were on the 



44 MONTREAL TO YIMY EIDGE AND BEYOND 

way to England, and might visit us, as they 
had been there before. I had to go around to 
see that no hghts were visible from the eight 
huts occupied by our company, and to give 
instructions as to what to do in case the alarm 
sounded. The Zepps did not come our way, 
however, and the alarm did not sound. I slept 
in my clothes all night as, in case of alarms, 
I should have had to see that all the men 
were out on the parade ground in three min- 
utes, ready to march off in diff*erent direc- 
tions. 

I went to see Lieut. IMitchener, the senior 
officer who came overseas with us, the other 
evening. I told him that, as he knew, we had 
been assured over and over again in JNIontreal 
that our company was an Officers' Training 
Corps, and that capable men would receive 
commissions in England; that, apparently, all 
this was a mistake, and that we were going to 
be drafted over to the front in small bodies 
like any ordinary infantry draft, with the ex- 
ception of a few privates who were getting 
commissions through "pull," and that conse- 
quently I should like to be transferred to the 
Inns of Court Officers' Training Coi*ps in 
London, as I felt I could be of more service 
as an officer than as an N. C. O. He said that 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 45 

a transfer to the O. T. C. of the Inns of Court 
was difficult to obtain as it is not an overseas 
unit, but that he would look into the matter 
and let me know about it. He advised me, 
however, to wait awhile before applying for a 
transfer. Captain Eve sent a list of men 
whom he recommended for commissions over- 
seas with us, and this list, I understand, has 
been forwarded to the War Office. Mr. Mitch- 
ener read me part of a letter from Col. Buller, 
O. C. the Princess Pats at the front, which 
said that when our company went to reinforce 
the old Pats in France, our men would be 
junior to those who had been there longer than 
we, and consequently would not be next in 
line for promotion. All men, therefore, Col. 
Buller said, who were fit to be officers should 
be picked out before the company left for 
France. Mr. Mitchener assured me that he 
and our other officers were doing all in their 
power to get the promised commissions for the 
efficient men of the company. The War Of- 
fice, he said, was bringing men from Canada 
to be trained for officers, and it was merely 
a question of bringing their demand into touch 
with the supply our company can afford. A 
vast amount of red tape is the chief obstacle. 
On the whole, the interview was encouraging. 



46 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

I told him the men were dissatisfied at not 
finding things as they were led to believe they 
would find them, and that, if nothing hap- 
pened, a large number would soon apply for 
transfers to other branches of the service. 
Many would prefer to belong to the I^Iotor 
Cyclists or the Army Medical Corps, etc., if 
they are to remain privates, and indeed, those 
with technical training in these various lines 
would be of more service in them than as pri- 
vates in the Infantry. Lieut. Mitchener ad- 
vised me to exert any personal influence ob- 
tainable in my own behalf, but to wait a few 
weeks before applying for transfer. 

I am sitting in a room in my boarding house 
this evening with John MacNeill, the son of 
the Baptist minister at Salisbury, N. B. We 
have a cheerful grate fire, and are very com- 
fortable. Several of the boys of our company 
are stopping here this week, but all the rest 
are out. I consider it a great treat to stay in 
and write, being warm and comfortable and 
dry. To go to bed with the thought that no 
bugle will rouse me at 6 A. ]M. with the dismal 
"Reveille" is a luxury so great that you can- 
not realise what it means. 

I heard of the Inns of Court O. T. C. from 
an Edmonton lawyer in our company who is 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 47 

applying for transfer to it. If he gets in, he 
can get me in. It gives a thorough course of 
training for a period of from ten weeks to 
three months, after which a man is fully quali- 
fied for a commission. While in the Corps the 
pay is that of an English Tommy (1/2 per 
diem with a small subsistence allowance), but 
after completing the course I should receive, of 
course, a subaltern's pay. If, after a few 
weeks, no commission is in sight, and it is pos- 
sible, and seems advisable, to transfer to this 
unit, do you suppose father could help me sup- 
port myself (as the pay will not be quite 
sufficient) during the course of training? I 
hate to suggest even the possibility of calling 
on you for money, but I think you would 
rather have me an officer than an N. C. O., and 
I think I could be of more service as an officer. 
Before I enlisted I was afraid of the re- 
sponsibility entailed by a commission, but have 
gained self-confidence enough to think I would 
make a better Lieutenant than many whom I 
meet. If I do not get a commission in Eng- 
land I may go to the front as a Corporal or 
even a private, as I understand N. C. O.'s like 
myself, who have never seen active service, lose 
one or more of their stripes when they first 
go to the trenches. I should expect, of course. 



48 JMONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

to regain them in a short time, but I do not 
like the idea of making any retrogressive 
steps. There is nothing to do, however, but to 
make the best of the present situation and to 
hope for the best in the future. 

A few days ago I was on guard at the Water 
Works (which I think I described in a pre- 
vious letter) . Grant was one of the men wath 
me. During the afternoon I let him go to 
town for some extra grub. He came back with 
some beef steak, cheese, jelly, etc., and we had 
a most elegant supper. The steak was the 
most delicious I ever tasted, and Grant cooked 
it perfectly. I hope to have him on some of 
my guards in the future. 

A company on the parade ground recently 
was practising passing orders from man to 
man by word of mouth. This has often to be 
done in battle. It is amazing hoAV a sentence 
becomes changed by passing through two hun- 
dred mouths. In practise the men are inclined 
to treat the matter as a joke, and make in- 
tentional changes. For example, the message 
*'Enemy pressing hard. Send up two platoons" 
was started at one end of the line, and emerged 
at the other in the form "Enemy pressing 
hard. Send up two balloons." Result, one 
very indignant young Lieutenant. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 49 

I must close now, Mother. Write often. 
The happiest moment of the day in camp is 
when the Canadian mail arrives. 
Love to all, 

Clifford. 

Shorncliffe, Jan, 14th, 1916. 
My DEAR Father, 

On my return from London on Tuesday I 
found my Christmas parcel containing socks, 
soap, chocolate, etc., waiting for me; also 
mother's letter of Dec. 24th, and Emma's of 
the 23rd. Yesterday I received the Literary 
Digest of Dec. 18th, and a clipping in regard 
to John Canadien, the Indian pilot. All these 
are very welcome gifts, and I thank you and 
mother for them very heartily. 

I had a pleasant six days in London. I did 
not do much sight seeing, but had a delightful 
rest and recreation. The first day back in 
camp was dismal by contrast, but now I am 
reconciled to this life again, and am feeling 
refreshed by the trip to London. 

A second list, giving fuller particulars of 
men recommended for commissions, is being 
sent in to the War Office, and something may 
come of it ultimately, although the men recom- 
mended may go to the front with the company 



50 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

first. It is being rumoured that we are going 
to Egypt and not to Flanders. I shall be 
much pleased if this prove true, as I shall see 
more of the world, and find things less monot- 
onous than the trench warfare on the Western 
front. 

We have a number of wounded in the camp 
here, and often meet men back from the front 
on leave. Nearly every one of them is con- 
fident that the German line in the west will 
be smashed in the spring. They seem to feel 
that the French and British have the upper 
hand now. Whether their estimate of the mil- 
itary situation is correct or not, it is of im- 
portance as showing the optimistic spirit of 
our men, which is in itself an important mili- 
tary factor. 

An interesting story was told by a Sergeant 
at the Mess the other day. A small batch of 
Germans had been captured, and was given 
in charge of about an equal number of Cana- 
dians who happened to be leaving the trenches 
for the billets. After leaving the trenches with 
their captors, the Germans refused to go along 
with them. It did not occur to the Canadians 
to stick their bayonets into the prisoners, as 
Germans would have done in their position, 
but instead they tossed their rifles aside and 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 51 

went for the prisoners with their fists. After 
a rough and tumble fight, they were able to 
proceed with the Germans, and finally turned 
over a bunch of captives with black eyes and 
bloody noses, and very submissive. The 
prisoners were brought along as if in the hands 
of the police, while two of the Canadians fol- 
lowed behind carrying all the rifles of the party. 
I have been moved into a different hut, and 
now have a very comfortable room, with plenty 
of shelves, and two boxes on which I place 
my bed boards, so that when they are covered 
with blankets it looks like a real bed. There 
is also a table and a chair — luxuries to which 
I have not been accustomed recently. I have 
also a nice room-mate — Gordon Patterson by 
name. He came over with the Third Com- 
pany, but was transferred to the Headquar- 
ters' Staff here. He is expecting a conmiission 
as Interpreter, as he speaks several European 
languages with great fluency. The interesting 
fact is that he remembered me as soon as he 
heard my name. We used to go to Rosedale 
School together, but I had not seen or heard 
or thought of him since then until we met 
here. I now have a very well behaved hut, 
and am more comfortable in every way than 
I was before. 



52 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

We have to pass a large number of tests 
in musketry — rapid loading, rapid aiming, 
grouping of shots, etc. These are very inter- 
esting. Our instructor yesterday gave us an 
exhibition of rapid shooting, getting off thirty 
well-grouped shots in a minute. He loaded 
the rifle with clips of five cartridges each, 
starting with the six clips on the ground beside 
him. The British regulars have weeks of 
practise in rapid loading, and it was their 
proficiency in this respect that saved the line 
in the first few weeks of the war. The Ger- 
mans thought the British were well supplied 
with machine guns sometimes when they had 
none at all, so rapid and concentrated was 
their fire. The importance of machine guns 
is being recognised. At the beginning of the 
war the British had 2 machine guns per bat- 
talion. The number has been steadily raised 
until now the official number is 16 per bat- 
talion. 

To-day it is quite cold, and the mud is 
frozen, which is a great boon. I hope the 
rainy season is at an end. 

I hope everything is going well at home, 
which is never out of my thoughts. 
Your affectionate son, 

Clifford A. Wells. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 53 

Shorncliffe, Jan, 15th, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

I have just received two letters from father 
dated December 27th, and 28th. He made 
some enquiries which I am answering on a sep- 
arate sheet enclosed herewith. The letters 
which I send home I regard, in general, as sent 
to the family, so I may give information asked 
for by father in a letter to you and vice-versa. 

I received "Papineau's Notes" and the "Ox- 
ford Book of English Verse" a couple of days 
ago. Thank you very much for sending them. 
The socks, etc., in my Christmas box were wel- 
come, although I am still well supplied with 
socks. I received from Eroma a canned heat 
chafing dish which she no doubt described to 
you. This will be most useful for the front. I 
shall try to take a couple of the little cans with 
me to warm up the food in my JNIess tin when 
I have a chance to do so. The contents of the 
cans burns for a long time and gives off a great 
heat. 

My work has been considerably lighter since 
the rush of the first two weeks was over. I 
have some time for reading and writing letters 
in the evening now. 

In regard to the rumours of spies on our ship, 



54 MONTKEAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

I liaYe come to believe that every transport that 
sails is afflicted with reports of that sort. In 
regard to the rockets, I cannot speak with cer- 
tainty. I was told of them by one of our offi- 
cers, but Sergeants who were on active service 
when this particular officer was in the nursery 
pooh-poohed the idea, and said it was ridicu- 
lous. It does not seem probable that spies 
w^ould fire the rockets when we were two days' 
sail from the war-zone. 

I was weighed in London in my uniform, 
without cap or great coat — 154 lbs. — more than 
I ever weighed before. I have a new^ tunic of 
the English type — loose fitting, very comfor- 
table, but not so neat as the Canadian tunics. 
I feel that I look almost as broad as long when 
I wear it. 

It is my impression that German submarines 
in the North Sea are quite negligible now. I 
have not heard of any ships being torpedoed 
there since I came to England, although I did 
hear that two captured submarines were 
brought into Dover a few weeks ago. I think 
it is wonderful the way that danger has been 
disposed of. Swift launches, torpedo boats, 
aeroplanes (which can spot a submarine even 
on the bottom of any part of the shallow North 
Sea) and submarine nets have accounted for 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 55 

scores of the submarines. Aeroplanes cany 
bombs which burst thirty feet under water. 
We see many aeroplanes flying over the camp 
toward the sea, and occasionally a dirigible bal- 
loon. Zepps are reported to be on their way 
to England every ten days or so, and on these 
occasions special precautions to conceal all 
lights are taken. 

It was very interesting in London to meet 
on the street soldiers of many different coun- 
tries — hundreds of English, of course, and Ca- 
nadians, Boers, Australians, New Zealanders, 
French, Belgian, etc., etc. 

On Sundays there are three church parades 
— one for Catholics, one for Anglicans, and 
one for Presbyterians, etc. I am "etc." We 
go to the Baptist Church at Cheriton. There 
is a special service conducted by a chaplain at 
10 o'clock. There are usually two or three 
hundred soldiers present — more than the 
church would hold in addition to its regular 
congregation — hence the special service, which 
lasts only 45 minutes. The only regular church 
service I have attended since leaving home was 
last Sunday in London, when I went to Stroud 
Green (Dr. Brown's) Baptist Church with 
Mrs. Wigfield, at whose house I had tea, and 
supper after church. I had a very pleasant 



5t> 3iontki:al to vniv kidge and iuaond 

evening there. Dr. Erown was not the 
preaeher 1 heard, as there was a general ex- 
change ot pulpits among the Free Churches of 
London last Sunday. 

Tell Rae I was pleased to receive her letter 
yesterday. 

With much love, 

Clifford. 

Shorncliffc, Jan. JO,, 1916. 

DE.VREST ]M0THEK, 

The box containing the fruit-cake, candy, 
socks, cocoa, tooth-paste and foot powder came 
two days ago. Everything in it was welcome. 
The fruit cake was delicious, and I enjoyed it 
very much. I am well supplied with socks 
now, but it is good to have an extra supply on 
hand. One pair had slightly smaller feet than 
the others, and I tind that pair the most com- 
fortable, as no lumps can form in my boot. 

I see the English papers, so there is no need 
to send me any. If I think of anything I want 
I shall let you know. One thing I do want is 
my housewife. The one you made is nuich bet- 
ter than the one I have, so I should be glad to 
receive it in the next box you send. If 1 get a 
commission, I shall want a lot of things. 

This week our course in nuisketrv is in full 



INIONTKKAL TO YIISIY lUDGK AND BFAOND 57 

swing. \\c march off at (jAo every morning 
to Ilythe (4 miles away) to shoot on the 
ranges there. I have not been doing very well, 
as 1 find it difficult to accustom myself to the 
Lee-Enfield Kifle. Every day we fire two or 
more tests. A certain standard must be at- 
tained in each or else one fails in the course 
which must be completed before one can go to 
the front. I failed in one test the other day, 
but will have a chance at it again. That was 
shooting at a disappearing target at 200 yards. 
To-day, however, after doing fairly well in the 
first two tests, w^hen I came to the most difficult 
one we have yet tried, I made a record which 
surprised every one on the ranges. The range 
was 400 yards. We had to load and fire 5 
shots in 30 seconds. At the end of thirty sec- 
onds the target disappeared. There was a 
strong wind blowing at the time, which made it 
a difficult test. In less than the allotted time, 
I got off* five shots, three of which hit the bulFs 
eye, and the other two were inners close to the 
bull— a total of 18 out of a possible 20. The 
crack shots of the company, w^ho had done far 
better than 1 on every previous test, were con- 
tent to get 10 or 12, while some missed the 
target everj^ time, or made only 3 or 4. I do 
not know how to account for it ; whether it was 



58 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

mere luck or whether I have gained the mas- 
tery over my rifle and its peculiarities (it 
shoots low and to the left), for no two rifles 
shoot the same. I shall find out to-morrow. 
If I could shoot like that every day, I should 
soon be famous. The wind was so strong that 
it was necessary to aim away off the bull. 

The O. C. of the company now is a Captain 
John Collins, an Irishman with a truly w^on- 
derful vocabulary. He has been in the army 
for 29 years, rising from the ranks, and has 
great contempt for school-boy officers, and 
school-boy N. C. O.'s. Some of the expres- 
sions which he uses are really classic. It is a 
pleasure to be "called down" by him. A poor 
young Lieutenant made a mistake recently. 
John's comment, loud enough to be heard by 
the Battalion, was, "for goodness sake, put 
some intilligint private in charge of that pla- 
toon." An expression which he used of one 
of our men was: "that imbecile son of some 
Montreal millionaire." We are "imbecile sons 
of Montreal millionaires" to the rest of the 
camp now. Every sentence he utters is pic- 
turesque and shows the Celtic imagination, and 
his brogue is delightful. 

The rainy season is apparently coming to an 
end. It only rains every other day now. I 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 59 

hope you are having the clear cold weather I 
am so fond of. 

Harry Nesbitt and Grant wish to be remem- 
bered to you and father. They are both in my 
hut now, and often drop into my room. 

With love, 

Clifford. 

P. S. The Toronto Star Weekly for Dec. 
18 contains a much better picture of the 4th 
University Company than the one in the 
Standard, Will you please get and keep one 
for me. 

Shorncliffe, Jan, 23, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

Some day you may receive from me a cable 
announcing in the fewest possible words that 
I have been awarded a commission, and giving 
my address. As soon as such a cable arrives 
(if one should arrive) will you please forward 
to me the articles enumerated on the enclosed 
list? If I were to receive a commission, I 
should have to turn in most of the articles 
which have been issued to me, and those on my 
list would help to replace them. A cable an- 
nouncing that I had obtained a commission 
would probably contain a request for money 
too. I should be able to pay back later any 



60 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

sum I might have to ask for, as the Govern- 
ment makes a grant sufficient to cover the in- 
itial outlay for uniform, etc. This letter and 
the enclosed list are sent merely by way of pre- 
caution. I have not received a commission 
yet, and, perhaps, none will be forthcoming, 
but, if I should get one, I should be sorry not 
to have planned such a course of procedure in 
anticipation of the happy event. 

With much love to you and father, and the 

familjT", 

I am. 

Your son, 

Clifford. 

GREAT NORTH WESTERN CABLEGRAM 

Received at 

m NY MN 13 

Folkestone Jan 29—16 
Rev. O. C. S. Wallace 
Westmount 
Commissioned Lieutenant Princess Pats 

Shorncliife 

Clifford Wells. 
10.10 P. M. 

^ Received in Montreal, Jan. 30, at 9.30 
A.M. 

^ Note on cablegram in his mother's handwriting. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 61 

Shorncliffe, Jan, 30, 1916, 
Dearest 3Iother, 

I suppose that by this time (4.30 Sunday 
afternoon here) you have received the cable 
which I sent yesterday, announcing my pro- 
motion. I have been wonderfully lucky in be- 
ing commissioned with the Canadian and not 
the Imperial Army, and, best of all, in being 
attached (for the present anyway — I may be 
transferred to some other battalion before go- 
ing to the front) to the P. P. C. L. I. 

This is how it all happened. For some rea- 
son or other a sudden shortage of officers oc- 
curred in the division, and the various bat- 
talions were asked to recommend for promo- 
tion a certain number of "N. C. O.'s not below 
the rank of Sergeant." The 11th Reserve 
Battalion was asked to recommend four. I 
was one of the four, two of the remaining three 
also being Sergeants of the 4th University 
Company. Last Sunday the three of us were 
called away from our dinner to go to the Or- 
derly Room, where we had to sign a formal 
application for a commission, and then un- 
dergo the Medical exiamination. We were 
warned that nothing might come of the ap- 
plications, and were advised to say nothing 



02 IMONTREAI, TO A niY lUDGE AND BF.YOND 

about them. 1 wrote a letter to you, however, 
giviug a list of thiugs I should like sent to me 
in the event of beeoming an offieer. From 
Sunday till Friday we went on parade daily 
and heard nothing of our applications. You 
may imagine our mental state during this 
period of waiting. On Friday at 3.30 P. ISL 
Harvey (one of our Sergeants) and I were 
called off parade to go before the Adjutant, 
who told us that our applications had been ac- 
cepted. Instead of giving us a week's leave 
to get our luiiform, he said he wanted us to get 
fitted out with all essentials before JNIonday, as 
he wanted us to go to the Canadian JNIilitary 
School here for a course in Bombing which 
starts INIonday. At the end of this course 
(which lasts two or three w^eks) we shall get 
leave to go to London to complete our outfit. 
The other two Sergeants promoted to Lieu- 
tenants from this l^attalion are getting their 
week's leave now. Harvey and 1 hurried down 
to Folkestone and got Semi-ready Uniforms, 
which were altered to fit us, Saturday morning. 
In the afternoon we chan.ged from our Ser- 
geant's into our Lieutenant's uniforms at the 
store, and came back to camp in a taxi. Fri- 
day night we w^re Sergeants and slept in the 
huts. Last night we were officers and slept in 



MONTREAL TO VI MY RIDGE AND BEYOND 63 

the Officers' Quarters. Harvey and I have a 
nice room, with a stove, writing table, etc., and 
have a servant to wait on us, clean our boots, 
etc. It is a very unusual thing for officers pro- 
moted as we w^ere to be attached to the unit to 
which they formerly belonged. I am glad we 
are going to school for a couple of weeks be- 
fore we have to appear much about the camp to 
be saluted by our former companions. A 
number of officers were ordered away to 
France this morning, so we were able to move 
right into a room, and into places at the Mess, 
without any delay. 

I expect to enjoy the Bombing Course. It 
is necessary to be a speciahst and Bombing is 
one of the branches which appeals to me most 
— more than machine guns, signalling, etc. 
The officers, especially those of our own com- 
pany, have welcomed us very cordially. This 
afternoon I went for a walk down the "Leas" 
at Folkestone, and had the pleasure of return- 
ing many salutes — so many that it ceased to 
be a pleasure. 

The Government grants 50 pounds for the 
purchase of the necessary equipment. This 
seems like a great deal, but when you consider 
that everything I shall use must be bought 
with this — 2 or 3 prs of boots, two uniforms, 



64 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

revolver, underwear, shirts, neckties, overcoat, 
raincoat, etc., etc., it appears that there will 
not be much left when I have everything. 

The other two Sergeants promoted from 
our company were both qualified Lieutenants 
when they enlisted. I hope we shall be sent 
to a regular school of training after we finish 
our Bombing Course. My military knowledge 
has been picked up in a haphazard kind of 
way, and there are gaps in it which make me 
wish for a regular officers' training course. 

I shall be glad now to receive things like my 
hair brushes, etc., which I could not carry as 
an N. C. O. It is a great pleasure to feel 
that I can meet any one now without feeling 
embarrassed on account of my rank. I am a 
full Lieutenant with two stars on my sleeve. 
There are no Second Lts in the Canadian 
Army. London is full of English 2nd Lts 
with one star. A week ago I should have sa- 
luted them. Now I can treat them with calm 
indifference. 

It is a great piece of good fortune which 
placed my name among the first three on the 
list of recommendations sent over by Capt. 
Eve. That is responsible for my being rec- 
ommended as one of the four N. C. O.'s from 
the whole Battalion. It is delightful to be 



MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 65 

"Mr. Wells" again; to wear comfortable un- 
derwear; to eat with gentlemen; to wear pa- 
jamas when I go to bed. On the whole, I am 
pleased to be a Lieutenant, although I am glad 
to have been a Private, Lance- Corporal, Cor- 
poral, Sergeant, and Platoon Sergeant before. 

I received father's letter of Jan. 11th last 
night. He speaks of your Christmas cable. 
I received it early in the morning of the 24th, 
and was very happy to get it. The letter in 
which I acknowledged it must have gone 
astray, for I am sure I spoke of it in a pre- 
vious letter. I hope you are well, mother dear, 
and are not working too hard, and are not 
worrying about me. I am happy here; not 
that I would not rather be at home than any- 
where else, but this is where I belong now, and 
I would be unhappy if I had not come. When 
I come home, you will be glad that I did not 
stay home when I knew I ought to go. 

I enclose a few snapshots taken last week at 
a Miniature Machine Gun Range, which is 
being built near here. I had charge of the 
Fatigue Party (40 men) which did the work 
under the direction of a Corporal from the 
Engineers. The man in one of the pictures 
is the biggest man in the company. I felt a 
mere pigmy standing beside him. In civilian 



66 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

life he was a contractor and builder. It must 
have seemed strange to him to work as a com- 
mon labourer when he is used to superintend- 
ing construction. I enclose a copy of the Com- 
pany Daily Orders for Friday in which my 
promotion was announced. 
With much love to all, I am, 

Your affectionate son, 

Clifford. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 67 

No. 4 Company 28th January, 191 6 

nth Reserve Batt., P. P. C. L. I. 

Details for Saturday, 1916 
Duties for Saturday, 29th inst. 

Duties. Sergt. Turner, Orderly Sergt. ; Sergt. 
Benzie, Assistant Orderly Sergt.; Corpl. Duthie, 
Orderly Corpl. 

Parades. 8.00 A. M. to 8.30 A. M., Physical 
Training; 8.30 A.M. to 9-30 A.M., Bayonet 
Fighting; 9.30 A.M. to 11.00 A.M., Musketry; 
11.00 to 12.00 noon, Section and Platoon Drill. 

Interior Economy. No. 7 Hut in charge L. S. 
McDonald, 4th University Coy, was to-day judged 
to be the best arranged. Major A. A. S. Law, 
Royal Canadian Regt., who with the O. C. Com- 
pany inspected the huts, stated that he had never 
seen cleaner Barrack accommodation during his 
service. 

Cleaning of Web equipment. Blanco for Web 
equipment is on sale at the Regimental Institute 
(Grocery Bar). All N. C. O. and men are in- 
structed to provide themselves with this for use in 
cleaning their equipment. The best results are 
obtained when the preparation is applied with a 
nail brush. When purchasing specify "Web equip- 
ment Blanco" Not Khaki. 

Promotions. To be Lieutenants: — and posted to 
their respective Units. 25-1-16. 

475272 Sergt. Wells, C. A. ' 
475482 " Millett, R. M. I P. P. C. L. I. 

475266 " Harvey, J. I. | 11th Battalion. 

475463 L/Cpl. Bethune 

475316 Pte. Nash, R. H. P. P. C. L. I. to be 
L/Cpl. 

J. Collins, Capt., 
Commanding No. 4 Company. 



FEBRUARY, 1916 

Learning to Throw Bombs — Athletics and Religion — 
Former Tennis Expertness Useful — Ne Lisez pas la 
Bible — "Private X" — The Capture of a Submarine — 
John Ridd^ Batman — Nephew of Rider Haggard — 
1070 Shots per Minute — The "Silver Queen" — Tea at 
the Rectory — The Ever-welcome Handkerchief — The 
J. H. U. Sweater — The Sham Fight, Ending in a 
Snowball Fight — Germans in Canadian Uniforms — 
Another Visit to London. 

Shorncliffe, Feb. 1, 1916. 
My Dear Father, 

Just a note to say that I received your kind 
cablegram this afternoon. I am naturally 
much pleased at having been made an officer, 
especially as the commission did not come in a 
general distribution to the company, but be- 
cause of a special call on the Battalion for 
four officers. 

I received mother's letters of January 12th 
and 17th to-day. One of them enclosed a let- 
ter from Carl Weber, son of Dr. Weber of 
Baltimore. Carl learned from the enclosed 
clipping which was contained in his letter, that 

68 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 69 

I had enlisted. I hope to see him before leav- 
ing England. 

Hoping you are well, and with much love, I 
am, 

Your son, 

Clifford. 

Shornclife, Feb. 6, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

I have finished my first week at the Cana- 
dian Military School — Grenade Course. This 
is a four weeks' course. We have lectures 
every day in regard to the construction and 
use of the various kinds of bombs or grenades, 
and then practise throwing bombs by hand 
and by means of catapults, spring guns, etc., 
which throw them two hundred yards or more. 
I have been throwing pretty well this week. 
In practice we use dummy bombs of the same 
size and weight as the real ones. There are 
thirteen officers taking the course. One or 
two can throw farther than I can, but none 
has been throwing more accurately. I shall 
send you a copy of a magazine called Canada 
which describes the Grenade School, and con- 
tains photographs of a previous class there. 

Our officers have been very kind to the 
newly promoted Sergeants, and have made 



70 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

US feel at home right away — more at home 
than we used to feel at the Sergeants' INIess. 
We ha Ye excellent meals, well serYed, com- 
fortable rooms, etc. JNIy uniform is very com- 
fortable, and fits well. Rae will be glad to 
know that my legs look much thinner now than 
in my Sergeant's uniform — although they do 
seem fatter than the aYcrage officer's legs. 

I had intended to go by bus to Canterbury 
to-day, but it is Yery windy and rainy, and so T 
haYe postponed my Yisit. I haYe receiYcd an 
iuYitation from Carl Weber to spend a week- 
end at Oxford wdth him. 

Some time I wish you would send me my 
hair-brushes, stud-holder, and other little 
things like that, that you may think of. I can 
make use of that sort of thing now, and can 
store them here when I go to France. 

I suppose you haYe receiYcd the letter which 
I sent two weeks ago to-day saying that, if I 
should receiYe a commission, I should like cer- 
tain things sent to me. When I ^\Tote that 
letter I had just been called up to the Orderly 
Room with regard to a commission, but was by 
no means sure of getting it. I did not know 
for sure until the following Friday. I cabled 
the good news Saturday morning from Folke- 
stone, and receiYcd the answering cable Tues- 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 71 

day afternoon. My cable was of the "De- 
ferred Message" variety, and cost only 3/6, 
but it was evidently delivered pretty quickly. 

As an officer, I have now no Regimental 
Number; my address is simply Lieut. C. A. 
Wells, 11th Reserve Battalion, P. P. C. L. I., 
ShorncliiFe, Eng. 

I have no especial news to-day. This is 
simply a note to let you know that I am well, 
and comfortable. 

With much love, 

Clifford. 

•P. S. I received letters from Ned and Rae 
this week. I enclose the negative of which I 
recently sent you a print. I shall soon send 
you some snapshots of my new uniform with 
me inside it. I also enclose a clipping from 
the J. H. U. News Letter which was sent to 
me some time ago in a letter from Frank 
Davis. Who is the person at McGill who 
named his child after me? I can recall no one 
of the name of White there. 

Shorndiffe, Feb, 8, 1916. 
My Dear Father, 

Your letter of the 18th January reached me 
a couple of days ago. I am always very glad 
to hear from you, and to get the Montreal 



72 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

papers which you send. The English papers 
do not contain so much news as the Canadian, 
and besides there is something very attractive 
about a home paper, which gives news of vari- 
ous little local happenings (hockey games, 
etc.) which it is nice to keep in touch with. 
Our conversations at the INIess and in the eve- 
nings deal with a multitude of happenings be- 
side the war. Athletics and religion are two 
of the favourites. The eight officers Connected 
with our company consist of three Baptists, 
two Anglicans, two Presbyterians, and a 
Methodist, and many are the heated discus- 
sions that occur with reference to our various 
doctrines. 
/ I have grown quite accustomed now to being 
an officer, and returning salutes of those who 
were formerly my equals or my superiors. 
The bombing course is extremely interesting 
— ^much more than a machine gun course would 
be to me. I throw bombs with the same over- 
head movement of the arm that I used in 
serving a tennis ball. This enables me to 
throw accurately, and I have no trouble in 
throwing the distance necessary in the daily 
competitions which we have at the school. The 
bombs must be thrown with a stiff arm, much 
like bowling a cricket ball, as they are too 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 73 

heavy to throw hke a base ball. I should think 
a lacrosse stick would be excellent for throw- 
ing them, but I suppose there is not room 
enough in the trenches to use one. 

I have mailed to mother an envelope con- 
taining some picture post cards of the camp 
and places in the vicinity. 

We are beginning to get short periods of 
beautiful springlike weather now. There are 
some lovely landscapes about here — the sea, 
and the chalk cliffs, and the green hills — many 
of them covered with tents or huts, form pic- 
tures that I shall not soon forget. But after 
half a day of sunshine, back comes the winter 
rain and mist. 

I am entitled to six days' leave in order to 
purchase my equipment. As I have already 
bought most of the necessaries (being unable 
to get my six days until the completion of the 
bombing course), I shall be able to do some 
sight-seeing in London, and perhaps also to 
visit Carl Weber at Oxford for a couple of 
days. 

Your letter and mother's, both of January 
26, have just been handed to me. I am very 
sorry that you have had to give up swimming. 
You will probably be able to play tennis in the 
summer, however, and we shall expect to win 



74 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

the Men's Doubles at Knowlton the next time 
we enter it. Swimming and running are both 
very strenuous exercises, as the exertion in 
each is continuous, while the exercise lasts, not 
with numerous short intervals of rest as in 
football or tennis. 

I hope everything is going well at home, 
and that you are having some of the beautiful 
winter weather which is associated in my mind 
with Montreal. 

Your affectionate son, 

Clifford. 

P. S. I shall read the tract "Ne Lisez pas 
la Bible" this evening. I am glad to be able 
to review my French, as I shall need it some 
day. 

Shornclife, Feb. 9, 1916 
Dearest JMother, 

I wonder if the letters that I send to you 
are as irregular in their time of arrival at 
their destination as those I receive. Three 
days ago I received your letter of January 26. 
To-day that of the 21st arrived, also Father's 
of the 24th. I believe some of my letters have 
gone astray. Father says in his letter that I 
have not acknowledged the Christmas-box 
from the Church. I wrote a special letter ask- 
ing him to convey my thanks to the Church. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 75 

This letter I sent shortly after my return from 
London. Perhaps it has been received by this 
time. 

My letters from home are still addressed to 
Sergt. Wells, No. 475272, who no longer ex- 
ists. I have to send my servant over to the 
hut where I used to reside to bring my mail 
each day. I am looking forward to getting 
letters addressed to Lieut. Wells. These will 
be delivered at the Officers' Mess. 

I am sending you a copy of Canada which 
describes the Grenade School I am attending. 
Let me know if you receive it. Your letter of 
the 26th contained paper for my note book, a 
handkerchief, and some sticking plaster — all 
of which I was glad to receive. I have not 
received all the packages you have sent — I 
feel sure of that. It occurs to me that pos- 
sibly the initials P. P. C. L. I. are misleading, 
and leads to the parcels being sent to France. 
I belong now to a Reserve Battalion from 
which the Pats are reinforced from time to 
time. If in future you will address me as 
Lieut. C. A. Wells, 

11th Reserve Battalion, 
St. Martin's Plain, 

Shorncliife, Eng., 
it might possibly make delivery more certain. 



76 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

"Private X" is a former newspaper corre- 

sj)ondent named M . He came over as 

war correspondent with the First Contingent, 
but for some reason was sent back or returned 
to Canada, and enlisted in the Fourth Uni- 
versity Company. He is perfectly harmless, 
except that his imagination is rather too vivid 
for my liking, and leads him to believe (and 
to state, both verbally and in print) many 
things that I do not think are as he describes 
them. The last time I saw him, he was fully 
convinced that an aeroplane which flew over 
Seabrook (a couple of miles from here) , where 
he was one of a fatigue party working under 
my charge at a new machine gun range, was 
the German seaplane that attempted to raid 
Dover that day. Some vivid description of 
this incident will probably appear in his next 
effusion. So many aeroplanes are in sight 
every fine day that I did not pay any atten- 
tion to those we saw that day. But M 

saw one, which he noticed at the time was dif- 
ferent in colour from the rest, which flew at a 
high rate of speed, circled about uncertainly 
over our heads a few times, and then flew off* 
in the direction of Dover, half an hour before 
the reported time of the raid. Selah! 

I am not writing any more of my diary in 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 77 

my little note book. I am saving it for more 
important notes. I have a regular pocket 
diary instead, and if you will send back the 
few sheets I sent you, I will copy them in my 
diary, so as to have it all together. The best 
diary, however, is the letters I send home, as I 
give fuller details of interesting things in them 
than anywhere else. 

Will you please see that all the numbers of 
the History of the War come? And is Art 
and Archaeology still reaching you? I or- 
dered it for 1916 before I left home. 

Your loving son, 

Clifford. 

Shornclife, Feb, 15, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

I have a couple of interesting things to 
tell you this time. First, last Saturday when 
going for a walk along the shore to Folkestone 
with a couple of other officers, I saw a num- 
ber of ships (apparently trawlers, with a few 
larger ships farther out) a couple of miles out 
from Hythe, a village near here. We won- 
dered what they were all doing, as they ap- 
peared to be stationary and doing nothing. 
About eight o'clock in the evening there was a 
grand tooting of whistles apparently in cele- 



7S :montkkal to vimy kidcjk and beyond 

bration of some event. Later, we learned 
what had happened. A German snbmarine 
(the first I have heard of around here for 
weeks) had been deteeted (probably by an 
aeroplane or dirigible balloon) and eornered 
in some way. It may have beeome entangled 
in one of the nets whieh are spread for them. 
These nets have a twelve foot mesh into whieh 
the submarine runs. The propeller, before it 
ean be stopped, usually swings the boat 
around, so that it (/. c, the propeller) is also 
eaught. We cannot find out nuieh about what 
happened Saturday, except that the ships 
rounded up the submarine, and the whistling 
was to celebrate the capture when they finally 
landed the big fish. Before morning trawlers 
and submarine were gone. 

The other interesting thing is this. My bat- 
man is John Eidd from Devonshire. He 
claims to be a descendant of John Eidd of 
Elackmore's "Lorna Doone." He says that 
his great-aunt was housekeeper for Elaek- 
more, and told him the traditions about the 
famous Eidd which were woven into the novel. 
He says the descendants of the Doones oc- 
cupy a small island in Bristol Channel called 
I.undy Island, and still have a very bad repu- 
tation for snmggling, and for plundering the 



MONTREAL TO VI MY lUDOE AND BEYOND 79 

nuiiicrous ships which are wrecked on the 
island each year. My Ridd is a very interest- 
ing fellow, and is much ashamed that he is not 
a giant like his ancestor. 

One of the other batmen in this hut is a 
poet. He writes quite good verse. I shall 
send a sample some day, if I can obtain a copy. 
The last occupant of the room in which I sleep 
was a nej)hew of Rider Haggard. So you see 
I live in a verj^ literary atmosphere. Yester- 
day I received your first letter (of Jan. 30) 
addressed to Lieut. Wells, and also Father's 
of the 29th, addressed to the Sergeant of the 
same name. My expenses will be somewhat 
heavier now, but I think the increased pay will 
more than cover the difference. There is still 
a possibility that a number of members of the 
Fourth University Company will receive com- 
missions in the Imperial Army, but it is a 
greater honour to have been one of four rec- 
ommended by the Battalion in response to a 
special call, than to share in a wholesale dis- 
tribution of commissions. I have been won- 
derfully fortunate. 

It will be very nice for Father to have Nor- 
ris Tibbetts next summer. I should think you 
would be glad to have him too, as he is a good 
boy. Does Victor still come around and make 



80 310NTKK.U, TO VniY KIDGE AND BF.YOND 

the toast for yoiK* Roinember nie to him, and 
tell him 1 slioiild Hke to hear from him. 
I must dose now as it is dinner time. 
With much love, 

ClJFFORD. 

P. S. I enclose a couple of snapshots taken 
at the Bombing School, showing me in the act 
of throwing a 2 pound "jam-tin" bomb (a 
dunmiy). We have daily competitions in 
throwing these dunmiies. The target is a bas- 
ket (like the one in one of the pictures) and 
the distance thirty yards. We have frequent 
practice in throwing live grenades as well as 
the dummies. 

ShorncJi/l\\ Feb, :J0, 1916, 

DiLVEEST ]MOTHER, 

Last night I received the ^Montreal Stancl' 
ard of January 29\\\, and a couple of copies of 
the ?lcGiU Daih/. I was very gjad to get 
them. To-day some copies of Punch came, 
which I am also glad to have for the sake of 
some of the pictures in them to adorn my room. 
I am able to see PuiicJi and other English 
papers, however, each week at the OtHcers' 
jMess. It is the ^Montreal papers I enjoy espe- 
cially. 

The Bombing Course will end on Friday, 



MONTREAI. TO VJMY RIDGE AND IJEYOND 81 

and then I hope to get to London for a few 
days. To-morrow we have to turn in our note 
books on the eourse, and to-morrow and Tues- 
day we have the final tests in bomb-throwing. 
On Thursday we have the written examination. 
The note books count 10 per cent., throwing 
10 per cent., and the written exam. 80 per 
cent. A certificate is granted to those who 
pass the course. 

The English papers contain a good deal of 
discussion of the possibility of the German 
navy being equipped with 17-inch guns. Very 
likely this is for the benefit of the Germans 
themselves. An officer at the Bombing School 
who claims to be in touch with naval affairs 
says that, although the papers are not allowed 
to mention the fact, it is well known among 
naval officers that England already has a bat- 
tleship afloat armed with 18-inch guns. 
George would be interested in this. We hear 
a good deal about a wonderful new machine 
gun invented by the Australians which fires 
with marvellous rapidity — 1070 shots per min- 
ute the report says. Stories like these give one 
the impression that the Naval and Military 
authorities in England are by no means asleep. 
It is unfortunate that England has not made 
the same efiPorts to influence the American 



82 :montkkai. to vniv lUDiiK am) iuaond 

press that Germany has made. I uiuierstaiid 
that the Ciermans manage to present their 
ease very strongly in the U. S. A. while Eng- 
land takes it for granted that .Vmerieans un- 
derstand Avhat we are fighting for and what 
we are aeeoniplishing. 

Three aeroplanes were tiying around to- 
gether this morning. At present the "Silver 
Queen." a British dirigihle, is tiying around 
near the eamp. It is said that this dirigible 
was ehased for a long time by a Zepp on one 
oeeasion. I wish 1 had been there to see the 
chase. It occurred somewhere out over the 
Xorth Sea. 

I received a cake from **B. ^IcTavish" on 
Friday. I shall write and thank ^Irs. ^Ic- 
Tavish (for I suppose it is she) this evening. 
Enclosed with it was one for Gordon Rickert, 
which I am forwarding to him at the Cana- 
dian Convalescent Home. Bear Wood Park, 
AVokingham, Berks, where he is at present. It 
is very kind of .^Irs. ^IcTavish to remember us. 

Last Sunday 1 was invited by one o( my 
brother otlicers to have afternoon tea at the 
Bectory of Trinity Church, Folkestone. The 
Rector and his wife were very kind, very Eng- 
lish and very dignified. They have a beautiful 
home, and are evidentlv doinu' a u'reat deal for 



MONTKKAL TO VIMY IMDCK AND liKVONl) 83 

the soldiers of all ranks who are in the neigh- 
bonrhood. Last Snnday they had three offi- 
cers and two privates in to tea. It reminded 
nie of home in many ways. 

This is a beautifnl Snnday afternoon and I 
am going I'or a walk with three or I'onr others. 
We shall have afternoon tea in Folkestone, as 
we do not have much of a supper at the Mess 
on Sunday. When we come home we shall 
have some cake and lemonade in my room. 
We live a very luxurious life. 

I hope you are well, mother dear, and are 
not working too hard, and that you lie down 
whenever father tells you to. 

With greatest love, 

Clifford. 

P. S. Thanks for the handkerchief and for 
the N. C. O.'s Handy Book, both of which 
will come in very useful. 

Shorncliffe, Feb. 22, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

I have just received your letter of Feb. 7th, 
and the ever-welcome handkerchief with it. 
It was very good of you to go to so much trou- 
ble about my commission. When I first spoke 
of the matter I had Major Hickson especially 
in mind, thinking he might be a Staff Officer 



84. :mon rKTAi. ro mmy KiiH;r anp lU'voNn 

now, and able to roconuncnd nic t'or a oonmiis- 
sion in one of the now Derby Hattabons. I 
am sorry to have oansod you so nuicb trouble 
t'or notbiui;'. My eonunission was granted to 
me beeause I was a Sergeant reeommended by 
Capt. Kve before leaving Montreal, and by 
our eompany otVieers bere. I am glad it eame 
in tbis way witbout any "pull" wbatever 
about it. 

At pbysieal training in tbe morning tbe 
otfieers bave a elass to tbemselves, and many 
wear ec^llege or atbletie-elub sweaters. Tbat 
is wby 1 want my .1. H. U. sweater witb tbe 
II on it. 

1 spoke o\' my diary in a previous letter. I 
am noting anytbing speeial tbat bappens in a 
little diary wbieb I bave. I use tbe note book 
for military notes, and wcnild like ycni to keep 
on sending me paper for it. 

To-day we bad tbe tirst part of tbe examina- 
tion on tbe Bombing Course — tbe tests in 
throwing. I do not kncnv exaetly wbere I 
stood in tbe elass o( thirteen, but was eer- 
tainly among tbe tirst three. In two o\' the 
three tests, 1 was tied with one other (a dif- 
ferent one eaeh time'^ for tirst plaee. 1 did 
best in the throwing fron\ a kneeling position, 
dropping nine cnit o( ten bombs square into 



MONTRKAT. 'lY) VI MV IMDC;!-: AND l{^:^'()^'l) 85 

ii trcncli twenty yards away. Tlic tenth struek 
tlie parapet and rolk'd in. Tlie other contests 
were (1) throwing* thirty yanls into a trench 
from standing* j)osition, and (2) tin-owing 
from within the trench into the hay beyond 
tlie second traverse as if we were "bombing 
out" the trench. 

To-morrow we have to hand in our note 
books. I shall not do so well there, as 1 am not 
an artist, and have difficulty in making neat 
and accurate drawings of the intricate internal 
mechanism of the various grenades. Thurs- 
day we have the written examination. This 
counts 80 points, throwing 10, and the note 
book 10. 

I must close now in order to do some "plug- 
ging." 

With love, 

Clifford. 

Shornclife, Feb. 25, 1016. 
My Dear Father, 

I had a visit from Reggie Jones a couple of 
weeks ago. lie came to my room early one 
morning before I was out of bed. Tie had got 
back from France the day before, and was 
going up to London that morning, hoping to 
see his father. He looked rather pale and 



8(> 3U^N rKr.Ai vo vmv Kiiun: anh nr.voNn 

tliin, 1 thought, and acct^rcling to :i awd ^hioh 
I have just roooivod from him, ho lias since 
been sick in bod for a >vook in Coolbri>okdale. 
Sak^p, whorovcr that may bo. His father has 
bcvn with him. lie wrote the eard \o give me 
his father's aiUlress in London. I am expect- 
ing to go tc^ London to-morrow for a few days, 
and shall be pleased to see Mr. Jones if pos- 
sible. 

1 have finished my l>ombing Course, and 
have ti\ e days' leave, which 1 am going to 
spend in London. After my return 1 shall be 
one oi^ the regular oiHcers oi' the Hattalion un- 
til my turn comes to be sent acn^ss to France. 
The finale oi' the In^mbing Course was very in- 
teresting. A grand sham fight was plaimed, 
and it was expected we should have (|uite a 
number oi' spectators. l>ut during the previ- 
ous night several inches o( snow fell, and the 
tight took place during a severe snow storm, 
which was sufik'ient to keep away any fans wlio 
might otherwise have come. The tight took 
the form cif an infantry attack upon a redcnibt 
defended chiefly by grenadiers. The attack- 
ers numbered about 200, the defenders about 
50. As the attackers advanced in short 
rushes, we opened fire with our few riflemen 
(firing blanks oi' ccnu'se'^ ami then with mn* 3 



INIONTRKAL TO VIINIV KilXJK AND lUaOND 87 

catii pulls, and 2 s|)rini»- *^ims lirin<4' bombs, 
which wci^li 2 poiiiuls, about 200 yards. The 
attackers, of course, were out of rauge, so no 
one was hurt. 1 had charge of a West Spring 
(luu. The gun crew consists of live men, 
tln-ee to compress the spring, one to phice the 
bomb in position, and hght the fuse, and one 
to tire as soon as the fuse is Hghted. The bomb 
wouhl burst -^Y^ seconds later, nsually just 
after striking tlie grounck It woidd throw np 
a shower of snow and mud. Then, as the at- 
tackers (h'cw^ nearer, we threw hand grenades 
toward them, not reaching them, of course. 
The noise was deafening, as the 200 or more 
rifles were cracking all the time, and the bombs 
made a tremendous noise as they burst. 

Then, finally, when onr bombs were all nsed 
np the enemy made the final charge np to onr 
redonbt, and the mananivre was at an end — 
supposedly. The enemy pansed after reach- 
ing onr trenches to get their breath, and dnr- 
ing the panse some one threw a snow4)all. The 
next minute something like 250 snowballs were 
flying throngli the air. Oflicers and men acted 
like schoolboys, and for the next fifteen min- 
utes one of the greatest snowball fights that 
ever occurred was raging. It is my private 
opinion that about thirty men of the Fourth 



University Coiupaiiy who happonoJ to bo 
among the attaokers ohoso ino for their par- 
ticular target, but I may have got this impres- 
sion simply from not making good nse of the 
availabk^ eover. Altogether, it was tlie most 
enjoyable quarter o\' an hour 1 have had for 
some time. \\'lien it was all over, the men 
pieked up their ritles, and the otH^vrs pieked 
up their eanes and their dignity, and tried to 
look as if they had never thrown a snowball 
in their lives. The whole thing was spcM\- 
taneous, unpremeditated by any one. 

Last night, eoming home from Folkestone. I 
was halted by a sentry on the road near the 
eanip. Information had been sent from bri- 
gade Headquarters that Ciermans wearing- 
Canadian unit'orms were believed to be going 
to make an attaek i^f some sort on the eamp. 
\othing eame of it last night, however. C^nly 
oeeasional reports like this prevent life from 
beeoming intolerably monotonous liere. 1 be- 
lieve the extra guards will be retained for a 
while. 

1 think you must have received word alnnit 
mother's Christmas eable by this time, but in 
ease my letter went astray, I will state again 
that 1 received it early in the forenoon of the 
•JUh. My cable in regard to my prc^notiou 



iION'I'HKAL TO VI MV HUKJK AND liKYONI) 89 



was srnl about 11 oVIock Satunlay inoniiiiK, 
and your answer was received I'uesday al'ler- 
noon. 

'Hie snowfall to vvliieh 1 have rel'erred is the 
first wi' liave had heic this winter. It is snovv- 
ino- nn-ain lo-(hiy, and the eonntry looks (|uite 
hke (^anada. I enclose a, couple of sna|)sh()ts 
ol* niyseir and a l)rother olllcer, Lieut. Clieney, 
of Ottawa. 

^^our afVectionatc son, 

Clifford. 

London, W. C, February 29, lOIG. 

DfAUKST MO'I'IIKK, 

I am in London a^ain for a few days, and 
am enjoyinn' myself greatly. 1 wish you and 
I'alher were over here, too. As you see, I am 
sto|)[)inf»- at the Imperial in liussell Scjuare, 
about one hundred yards from tlie modest 
boardin*^- liouse where 1 stayed wlien 1 was a 
mere Serjeant. Canadian Odicers are well 
treated here. Yesterday my friend Harvey 
(who was |)r()moted with me) and I went to 
the Houses of Parliament and were admitted 
to the House of liOrds, where the Court of 
Al)peals was sitting. It was most interesting 
to sec the lawyers with their wigs, but the ease 
which was being tritd was extremely nninter- 



90 :\ioNTKKAL TO vi:my Kinoi: and bfaond 

esting, and we did not stay long. To-day Par- 
liament is sitting and we hope to be admitted 
to the gallery to hear some of the great men we 
have heard of so often. 

On Satnrday I went to the Kenilworth Ho- 
tel where JMr. Jones was stavino\ but bo bad 
left the day before, and was not expected back. 
I should have liked to see him. 

After to-day the British ^Mnseum is to be 
closed to the public indefinitely. The Elgin 
marbles have not been accessible for some time, 
and have been taken down or else protected by 
sandbags where they are. The strtvts of Lon- 
don are extremely dark at night, even the 
lights on the busses and autos being dimmed. 
I suppose it is necessary, but it makes the 
streets very dangerous by night. A single 
bomb, however, dropped on the Houses of 
Parliament or on the .Vbbey would do irre- 
parable damage. 

I received a nice long letter from .Vrthur 
the other day, and one from Frank about the 
same time. The family is very kind in writing 
to me. 

31 r. Edmonds wrote to me recently, too. 
He is very anxious that I should meet the 2 
sons of the Rev. 3lr. Shakespeare who are in 
the British Army somewhere. It wcudd be far 



INIONTKKAL TO VniY KIDCiK AND HFA'OM) 91 

easier tt) find a needle in the proverbial hay- 
staek than to loeate some one in the British 
.Army, >vith no further partieukirs to guide 
one. 

I had my photo taken yesterday. If the 
proofs are gocni, T shall have a dozen printed, 
and shall send them all to you to distribute to 
members of the family as you see fit. 

To-morrow I return to ShornelifFe. For 
the present I am attaehed to a company of the 
44th Battalion of .Winnipeg, which, /. c, the 
company, forms part of the 11th Beserve Bat- 
talion, although I was gazetted as Lieutenant 
in the P. P. C. L. I., and shall probably go to 
that Regiment when my turn comes to be sent 
across. 

I hope everything is going ^ve\\, Don't 
think of me as suffering many hardships, as 
I am very comfortably situated for the present. 

With love, 

Clifford. 



MAPxCII. 1016 

A Draft for France^ — Measles — First Day on Parade as 
Regular OtHeer — (.Orderly CMeer — Women as Bus 
Drivers, Barbers, ete. — Felknv OtHoers — Casualty 
Company — Meeting- Old Friends — A Compaiu* of 
Black Devils — West Sandling and Quarantint' — 
Beautiful Kent — Eager to Go to Franee. 

March 4, l^'Utl 
Dearest ^Iotiiek, 

The tirst draft (50 men") from the Fourth 
University Ccnnpauy has been ealled for. This 
means that the tifty most etheient men of the 
eompany will be sent over to Franee shortly. 
Thev will not o'o direet to the trenehes, of 
course, but will relieve other troops at the base 
near Havre, and will be employed there for a 
while. The men Avhom you know — Grant, 
Xesbitt, and ^lelvenzie — are praetieally sure 
to be ineluded in the tifty. There is o-reat 
eompetition for the lumour oi' being ehosen 
for the first draft. Unfortunately, three of 
the eight huts oeeupied by the eompany are 
quarantined on aeeount of measles, and so 
nearly half the eompany is ruled out of the 
competition. I shall be sorry not to go with 



:M()\'rKF.AT, TO VniY KlDcn: AM) liFA'ONl) 93 

the men 1 know, as 1 should bo going' if 1 had 
not received my commission (provided I were 
not in quarantine). Being an otlicer, I must 
await my turn tt) be sent over to France. 

There are a mmiber of cases of measles in 
the camp, and as soon as one hut is released 
from quarantine, one or two more have to be 
quarantined. None of the cases, so far as I 
know, are severe. We are afraid, however, 
that the whole camp will be quarantined. In 
that case, we might possibly not be allowed to 
write letters ; so if comnumieations should sud- 
denly cease coming from me, you will know the 
reason. There have been no cases of measles 
in the OtHeers' Quarters, but we would be 
quarantined the same as the men. 

Having finished my Bombing Course, I am 
one of the regular officers of the Battalion now, 
and appear on the parade ground daily, usu- 
ally in command of a platoon. I am enjoying 
it very much. The tirst day on parade was 
rather trying. I felt as though the whole Bat- 
talion was staring at me. The Captain of the 
company was called away for half an hour, 
during Avhich time I had to drill the platoon. 
By the time he got back I was feeling quite at 
home. I do not think any of the men guessed 
it was my first parade as an officer. 



94) MONTREAL TO yi:MY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

I enjoyed mj^ trip to London. Last Tues- 
day, in the House of Commons, I heard part 
of the debate on the question of exemptions 
from service under the Compulsion Act. Sir 
John Simon, an eloquent speaker, quoted 
numerous instances of hardship caused by the 
refusal of tribunals to exempt certain men — 
the sole supports of widowed mothers, etc. I 
was rather impressed by his speech (of which 
I heard only a part), but the papers con- 
demned him bitterly for thus attacking the 
government at such a time. The answer given 
by the Under Secretary for War was simply 
that (1) while the tribunals might make a 
few mistakes in deciding hundreds of appeals 
for exemption, they were doing all in their 
power to render fair decisions, and (2) that 
the Compulsion Act promised exemption only 
where "serious hardships" would otherwise re- 
sult, a certain amount of inconvenience and 
suffering being absolutely unavoidable under 
the circumstances. After Simon's speech, of 
which I heard the latter part, and the reply 
thereto, a third speaker began an address which 
seemed to have no end, and during its course 
I w^ent out. 

To-day is my first day as Orderly Officer. 
The duties of the Orderly Officer are to see 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 95 

that all the routine orders for the day are car- 
ried out — that the men rise at Reveille, that 
they receive the proper quantity and quality 
of food, that all the huts are clean and in good 
order, that the stables are clean, that windows 
are blanketed during the evening, and that 
lights go out promptly at 9.45, etc., etc. First 
Post (9.00 P. M.) is just sounding. At Last 
Post (9.30) I have to inspect the Fire Picket 
and the Guards. Then my duties will be over, 
except that I have to make a round of the camp 
after midnight to see that everything is in 
order. 

It is amusing to see what a fine time the men 
in quarantine are having. As soon as a man 
gets the measles, he is sent to a hospital and 
all the men in his hut are quarantined. They 
go for a march by themselves every day, but 
of course cannot come on parade with the rest. 
So a lot of time is spent in their hut playing 
games, singing, reading, or sleeping, just as 
they choose. 

I must close now. 

With greatest love, 

Clifford. 

P. S. I have just received a lovely box of 
Scotch shortbread, cake, ginger bread, etc., 



96 3I0NTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

with your card enclosed. Thank you very 
much, JNIoUy. It is delicious. 

Shorncliffe, March 6, 1916, 
Dear Rae, 

I am afraid you will think I am a poor cor- 
respondent. I am really pretty busy, however, 
with not much time for letter writing, and be- 
sides, when I write to mother and father I in- 
tend the news for the whole family. 

How are you getting on with your guessing 
contest? You must know the names of hun- 
dreds of books that many people in the contest 
have never heard of, and should have a good 
chance of winning one of the prizes. Do you 
remember the similar contest we engaged in 
when we lived in Lowxll? I hope you will 
have better luck this time than we had then. 

You would be interested to see the various 
occupations in w^hich women are now engaged 
in England. We see post-women delivering 
the mail (each wears a flash-light on her bosom 
to illumine her way after dusk), w^omen con- 
ductors on busses and street cars, women ticket 
collectors at the railway stations, women ele- 
vator boys, women barbers, etc., etc. They 
seem to do their jobs pretty wtII, too. 

I have a verv comfortable room now and a 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 97 

servant, a convalescent wounded soldier, to 
wait on me, make my bed, look after the fire 
in my room, polish my boots and my belt, and 
so forth. I shall need to have a valet to look 
after me when I get home. How could I pol- 
ish my own boots after having it done so well 
for me for so long? I am very particular 
about my belt and boots. Our daily routine 
starts wdth Physical Training from 8-8.30 
A. M., then an hour's musketry practice, then 
half-an-hour of bayonet-fighting, then mus- 
ketry again till 11.30. In the afternoon from 
1 until 5.30 we are hard at work again, the 
schedule being similar to that for the morning. 
The evenings I spend reading or studying, or 
shopping in Folkestone (the stores are open 
until 8), or else at a concert at the camp Y. 
M. C. A., or in Folkestone. Time does not 
hang heavy on my hands. I can always find 
something to do. 

I hope you are keeping well, and are taking 
lots of exercise. Write when you find time to. 
Your affectionate brother, 

Clifford A. Wells. 

P. S. Will you please tell mother that a 
dozen photos of me will soon be on their way 
to her. I had four positions taken. I am 
sending 6 of the best, three of another, two of 



98 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

another, and one of the poorest. She can or- 
der more of them if she wishes. I do not think 
any of them are very good. They all look too 
much like me. 

Blarch 10, 1916. 
JMy DexVr Father, 

I am on guard at the Folkestone Water 
Works once more. The guard has been in- 
creased so that it is now necessary to have an 
officer in charge. I am to be here for three 
days, during all of which time the guard, in- 
cluding myself, must w^ear clothing and equip- 
ment so as to be able to turn out at a moment's 
notice. I have to inspect the guard three tmies 
a day, and visit all the sentries twice by day, 
and twice by night. There is a wonderful echo 
here, and I enjoy listening to the sentries 
passing the call "All's Well" every half -hour 
by night. Two of them are so situated that 
their call cannot be heard at all from the 
guard-room, but the echo can be heard dis- 
tinctly. 

Last night as one of the reliefs was loading 
before going out, I had to caution the men to 
keep theii' rifles pointing in the air while load- 
ing them. I had scarcely finished speaking 
when bang! a bullet went sailing up into the 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 99 

sky. Through carelessness a man had let a 
cartridge slip from the magazine into the 
breech, and had accidentally discharged it. 
This emphatic punctuation of my remarks 
should cause all who were present to listen with 
very respectful attention when I speak. 

On Tuesday last Mr. Jones and Reggie, 
who is still on sick-leave, came out to the camp 
to see me. I had dinner in Folkestone with 
them that evening. It was very pleasant to 
meet some one from home. 

I have been granted a certificate as In- 
structor in Grenade Work in consequence of 
passing the four-weeks' course. My inability 
to draw well prevented me from attaining very 
high marks, and in a way I am glad of this. 
It is, unfortunately, customary to keep in 
England as Instructors in various kinds of 
work, the officers and N, C. O.'s who make the 
best marks in the courses. This is unfortu- 
nate because it leads many to try to make only 
enough marks to pass for fear lest, if they did 
too well, they would be kept as Instructors 
and not sent to the front. I am glad that 
I did my best and that, through no fault of 
mine, I am unlikely to be kept in England as 
an Instructor. 

It is time for me to go and see that the sen- 



100 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

tries are "alert and acquainted with their or- 
ders," as the Guard Report says, and so I 
must close. 

Your affectionate son, 

Clifford. 

Shornclife, March 13, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

Thank you very much for the cablegram 
which reached me on my birthday. It was 
waiting for me upon my return from the 
Water Works about 10 o'clock Sunday morn- 
ing. 

It is two weeks to-day since any Canadian 
mail was delivered in the camp here. It is re- 
ported that a number of ships bringing troops 
and mails from Canada are quarantined at 
Plymouth on account of smallpox. 

There is no use trying to conceal the sad 
truth from myself any longer, mother, — I am 
getting fat. I do not get enough exercise here. 
We have physical training twice a day, an hour 
of bayonet practice, and, of course, some 
marching, but still it is not enough to keep me 
from getting fatter and fatter every day until 
I am quite ashamed. 

March 15. The draft of reinforcements 
from the 4th University Company, of which 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 101 

I spoke in a former letter, did not leave until 
this morning. A draft of Black Devils (so 
named by the Indians in one of the rebellions 
in the Northwest) or 90th Winnipeg Rifles, 
left at the same time. They marched off very 
gaily with the band playing "Soldiers of the 
King," amid the cheers of those w^ho were left 
behind. At the last moment before moving ofl* 
some of the men were not allowed to go, as the 
draft was over strength. Those who were 
called out to stay behind w^ere terribly disap- 
pointed. Some of them almost wept. 

The measles seems to be on the decrease in 
camp, although several huts are still in quar- 
antine. I understand that the Fifth Univer- 
sity Company is quarantined on account of 
measles in Montreal. 

No letters came from Canada to-day, but I 
received the Standard of February 12, which 
has some splendid pictures in it. 

I have very little news this time. I am wait- 
ing eagerly for the letters and parcels which 
I know^ are on the way. 

George sent me a pound recently for me to 
get something for myself. I have got a beau- 
tiful flashlight made to be worn on the belt. 
It can be used for signalling, for lighting the 
path before me, or for reading by if necessary. 



102 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

Postmen (and postwomen) carry similar 
flashlights when they deliver letters after dusk. 
With much love, 

Clifford. 
P. S. If my photographs should not arrive 
in good condition, please notify the photog- 
rapher and me at once. The photographer 
guaranteed delivery in good condition. 

Shorncliffe, March 17, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

After an interim of more than two weeks 
Canadian mail is again reaching us. Yester- 
day I received your letter of March 2, and 
father's of Februarj^ 29th. To-day yours of 
February 20th and February 28th, and 
father's of February 22nd and 24th arrived, 
also Croy's of February 24th. Except the 
cake which I acknowledged some time ago, no 
packages have reached me for some time. 
They will all turn up in time, no doubt. I 
have acknowledged all that have come. 

You refer to a "letter of Cousin Augusta." 
Did you send such a letter? It has not reached 
me. Father was enquiring about the Officers 
with whom I am chiefly associated. Of the 
five who came overseas as officers of the Fourth 
University Company, one, C. C. Robinson, 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 103 

was a student at WyclifFe College. His father 
is an Anglican missionary in Japan. He is 
one of my best friends. Two others were stu- 
dents at Victoria College (Hey wood and 
Cheney are their names ) , and another, Mitch- 
ener, is from S. P. S. Higgins, who, by the 
way, is not with us any more, but has secured 
his transfer to the Artillery, you already know. 
Of the three of us who were promoted over 
here, one named Millett is from Acadia, and 
the other, Harvey, was a High School teacher 
in Ontario. All of the eight except me were 
qualified Lieutenants before they left Canada, 
and officers of the Canadian Militia. 

Father also enquires as to what the 11th 
Reserve Battalion is. I should have explained 
this before. It is a battalion composed of six 
companies, namely, four * 'Training Compa- 
nies," the Headquarters Company, and a Casu- 
alty Company. The Headquarters Company 
comprises the clerical staff, which is necessar- 
ily large for a Reserve Battalion, the band, 
and all others connected with the administra- 
tion and care of the camp. The Casualty Com- 
pany is composed of soldiers wounded or sick 
who have recovered sufficiently to leave hospi- 
tal and to perform light duties while convales- 
cing. From the Casualty Company they are 



104 MONTREAL TO YIMY lUDGE AND BEYOND 

transferred to other companies as they become 
fit, or, if totally unfit, they are sent back to 
Canada. A nmiiber of the original Pats are 
in the Casualty Company. Of the Training 
Companies No. I is a draft of R. C. R.'s 
(Royal Canadian Regiment), No. II, P. P. 
C. L. I., No. Ill, Black DcYils (90th Winni- 
peg Rifles), No. IV, the 44th Battalion of 
Winnipeg. Drafts of reinforcements from the 
4 training companies are sent out from time to 
time according to the needs of the battalions 
which each several company is to reinforce. 
The officers of a reserve battalion do not neces- 
sarily remain ^vith men of their own regiment 
while here. For example, I am at present at- 
tached to number 4 Company, although upon 
promotion I was posted to the Pats, to whom 
I expect to go when sent overseas. Some offi- 
cers are posted merely to the 11th Reserve 
Battalion, and are liable to be sent to any of 
the units represented in this battalion. Thus, 
since only one company of this battalion is 
composed of reinforcements for the Pats, it is 
better to put 11th Reserve Battalion on my 
letters for fear they might be sent to the P. P. 
C. L. I. in France. I am an officer of the 11th 
Reserve Battalion who will some day be sent 
to the P. P. C. L. I. in France, or, to put it 



MON TKKAL TO VIMV lUlKJE AND lUAOND 10.1 



ill another way, 1 am an oiliccr ol' the W V. 
C. L. r. at ])reseiit attaehed to tlie 11th Re- 
serve l^attaHon ol' whieli one eonipany is com- 
posed of reinforcements for the Tats. 1 trust 
this will clear up the difficulty. 

I met Gordon Crossley in Folkestone the 
other day. He had come down to arrange for 
a transfer to the Field Artillery in barracks 
near here. He was looking well. I have not 
been to Dover, as it is necessary to secure a 
l^iss before any one can enter the city. It 
would not be dilHcult for me to get a Pass, 
but 1 have not done so yet. 

I am glad to have my diary back. I shall 
copy it into a diary which I have here. My 
diary is going to be very brief, all interesting 
facts being mentioned in my letters home. 

With much love, 

ClJFFOllD. 

r. S. I enclose a copy of the exam. 1 took 
at the Bombing School. 

March f24tK 1016. 
Dearest Mother, 

Last Sunday I went for a walk with a couple 
of friends, one of them from another Hattalion 
(12th), and had afternoon tea at the Metro- 
pole Hotel in Folkestone, as we do not get 



10() :NrONTKEAL TO VIZNIY KIDGE AND BEYOND 

iiiiich of a Slipper in camp on Sundays. The 
officer from the 12th casually directed my at- 
tention to a young Lieutenant of the Royal 
Xaval Air Service, who was sitting near us, 
saying his name was Ince, and that he had re- 
cently won the D. S. O. It turned out to he 
Strachan Ince, who was with his hrother Billy 
(Lieut, in the 35th Battalion encamped near 
St. Martin's Plain). ^Ir. and jMrs. Ince were 
with them. I had a pleasant chat with them. 
JMrs. Ince recognised me hefore I told her my 
name. Later in the evening I met Bert ]Moyle 
in a restaurant. He was wearing the uniform 
of a Captain in the Canadian Army Medical 
Corps. He is at Sandgate, which is between 
St. JNIartin's Plain and Folkestone. It is very 
pleasant to meet people whom I knew of old. 

You will be pleased to know that the hair 
bnishes, sweater, etc., have all reached me 
safely. Will you please thank the donor of 
the socks ^ They are very nice ones. I do not 
know who made them, whether they are the 
ones from the S. W. League, or from ]NLabel 
JNIoule. 1 also have received the letter from 
]\Irs. Inskip. The conmiissions, which were to 
have been issued wholesale to members of the 
Fourth University Company, have never ma- 
terialised. The only ones who have received 



MONTREAL TO YiaiY RIDGE AND BEYOND 107 



commissions from the company are the three 
Sergeants, and a few who had a strong pull 
in one quarter or another. I was wonderfully 
fortunate to be promoted. 

Last Jlonday the 11th Reserve Battalion 
moved from St." ISIartin's Plain to West Sand- 
Ung, a distance of about five miles. The com- 
position of the battalion is unchanged. There 
are, as I explained in my last letter, six com- 
panies, No. I consisting of reinforcements for 
the Royal Canadian Regiment (of the Cana- 
dian Permanent Force), No. II, reinforce- 
ments for the Pats. This company consists of 
what was the 4th University Company, and 
dregs of the 3rd University Company {i. e.. 
those who are not yet qualified to go to the 
front) and those of previous University com- 
panies, and of the original Pats, who, having 
been wounded, have passed through hospital, 
and convalescent home, and, after serving some 
time at light duty in the Casualty Company, 
have again been declared fit for active service. 
The other companies are equally complex m 
their make-up, i. e., in addition to those who are 
waiting to go to the front for the first time, 
there are those who have completed the cycle 
of the trenches, hospital, convalescent home, 
and Casualty Company. No. Ill Company is 



108 ^rONTKEAI. TO VniY RIDGE AND BFA'OXD 

composed of reinforcements for the Winnipeg 
Rifles, commonly known as Black Devils, and 
Xo. IV of reinforcements for a composite 
AVimiipeg Battalion. Before getting my com- 
mission I was, of conrse, a Sergeant in A^o. II 
Company. Since retnrning from the Bombing- 
School I have been attached to No. IV com- 
pany, until this week, when I was transferred 
to Xo. Ill (Black Devils). This does not in 
any way alter the fact that my regiment is the 
P. P. C. L. I. It simply means that, in a 
composite reserve battalion like this, wjiere the 
number of officers is constantly changing, the 
officers are treated as though they belonged to 
the battalion and not to any one company of 
the battalion. Besides the four training com- 
panies which I have enumerated, there is a 
Headquarters Company, composed of the ad- 
ministrative staff of the camp, and a Casualty 
Company, previously referred to, composed of 
casualties from the four regiments to be rein- 
forced by the four training companies. From 
the Casualty Company, which performs vari- 
ous light duties, men are transferred to their 
proper training companies if they become fit, 
to the Headquarters Company if they are 
only fit for clerical work or some dutv of that 



IMONTHEAI. TO VIMY KIlKiK AN 1) liKYONl) 100 



sort, or are sent back to Canada if they are 
permanently disabled. 

I have given this long explanation of the 
composition of the battalion, in addition to the 
explanation in my previous letter, in order to 
make the situation perfectly clear, so that you 
may understand how it is that I belong to the 
Pats, am stationed in the 11th Reserve Bat- 
talion, and am attached to a company of Blaek 

Devils. 

I was very glad to get the tooth paste, eat- 
ables, etc., in the packages you sent. I also 
appreciate the cartoon about Mr. Jiggs, and 
the horse with the heaves, which father sent. 
With greatest love, 

Cliffcrd. 

March Uth, 1016. 

My Deak George, 

With the poimd which you sent I have 
bought a flashlight of the kind which I de- 
scribed in a previous letter. It is a very useful 
thing, one that will last, and one that I should 
not have got but for your remittance. 

I have not a great deal of time for readmg, 
but this last week I have been devouring at odd 
moments "Moonl)eams from the Larger 
Lunacy" by Stephen Leacock of McGdl. 



110 3iomki:ai. to vkaiy kidge and bkvond 

Probably because it has been so long* since 1 
read anything of the sort, many of the stories 
struck me as being rather clever. Have you 
read any of his stories ^ 

Write Avhen you have time. Letters are 
always very welcome. By the way, I sent you 
a copy of "Fragments from France'' (car- 
toons of trench life by Capt. Bairnsfatlier) . 
In case it does not reach vou, you will tind the 
cartoons with a good write-up in the Strand 
Mac/azinc (Eng. Ed.) for ^larch. If they are 
not in the American Strand for 3Iarch they 
may come out in the April number. They are 
extremely good, I think. 

Love to ^lildred and the children. 

Cliff. 

TJ^\s^/ Sandling, Kent, March 29, 1916. 
My Deak Fathek, 

I have very little news to tell you this time, 
inasmuch as I am quarantined. One of the 
officers in this hut developed the measles last 
week. He was sent to the hospital, and his 
room-mate and batman were quarantined. On 
Sunday the batman manao'ed to o-et drunk 
and visited the room where all the other batmen 
sleep. They, of course, in the pursuance of 
their duties entered the officers' rooms in the 



TMON'I'HKAT. TO AM MY IMIKJK AND HI'.\'()N1) 111 

hut. The ^Icdical Otticer, when the circum- 
stance was reported to liini, ])ut the whole hut 
uikUt (luarautine. Only three oflicers were 
caut>ht, however. The others happened to be 
out at the time, and are sleepin^jj in other huts. 
But my room-mate and T, and one other offi- 
cer, and the batmen, are sluit up for sixteen 
days, with a sentry with fixed bayonet in front 
of the door. All our meals are brought in to 
us. T sometimes have breakfast in bed. Out 
on the ])arade ground the battalion is hard at 
work drilling in anticipation of being inspected 
by Sam ITughes. In the afternoon my room- 
mate and 1 are allowed to go out for a long 
walk in the country, but, of course, cannot go 
into any stores or buildings occu])ied by other 
peo])le. AVe are having a delightful time. 

In one of your letters you asked about Sun- 
day in cam]). There are three church-parades 
at 9.30. One for Church of England, one for 
Roman Catholics, one for "Presbyterians and 
other Protestants." If necessary, there would 
be a parade for Jews on Saturday, but there 
are very few Jews, if any, in camp. Every 
one nuist attend the parade of the church to 
which he belongs. On enlistment, every man 
must register his religion or denomination. The 
Presbyterians usually have their service in the 



112 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

Y. M. C. A. hut. The chaplain preaches a 
very short sermon, the whole service lasting 
about three quarters of an hour. Occasionally 
we go to some church in the neighbourhood, 
but usuall}'- the chaplain preaches even there, 
and the minister of the church does not appear 
at all. We never attend a regular service of 
any church, as the number of troops is so great 
that there would not be room for the regular 
congregation. The C. of E. service is held in 
the hut of the Lord Roberts Club, a Church of 
England Club similar to the camp Y. M. C. A. 
The R. C.'s meet in a hut known as the Roman 
Catholic hut. There is usually a band for each 
parade, although we have only a few hundred 
yards to march. After church parade there 
are no further duties for the men, except those 
detailed for guards, pickets (police), etc., but 
they are not allowed to leave the camp until 
2 P. M. In the afternoon nearly everybody 
goes for a walk, and many have supper in 
Folkestone or Shorncliffe, as supper in camp 
on Sundays is a very simple meal. There are 
services (voluntary) at the Y. M. C. A. and 
Lord Roberts Club in the evening. ]Many 
go to church in Folkestone in the evening. The 
men have to be back in camp at First Post 
(9 o'clock). There are also Sunday concerts 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 113 

at the theatre in Folkestone. These usually 
attract a large number of officers and men. 

Kent is called ''The Garden of England," 
and it well deserves the name. The country 
about here is beautiful — low, rolling hills, and 
beautiful green valleys. Much land is given 
up to sheep grazing, and at this season the 
infant lambs are numbered by the thousand. 
Yesterday we came upon a little old church 
founded by Queen Ethelburga in the ninth 
century. The time which I can spend in walk- 
ing about the country is well spent, and I am 
much pleased with my state of quarantine, as 
it enables me to see far more of the country 
than I could under ordinary circumstances 
when I am on parade until 5.30 daily including 
Saturdays. 

Things are done in a more formal manner 
here than at St. Martin's Plain. The 11th 
Reserve Battalion is now part of the 12th 
Reserve Brigade. All four battalions of the 
brigade are quartered together in one big camp. 
A band plays at Reveille (5.30), at Retreat 
(6.30 P. M.), and for each Battalion parade. 

Frequent drafts are being sent over to 
France, and I am hoping my turn will come 
before very long. There are a number of 
officers who will go before me, however, and it 



114 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

is useless to speculate when my time will come. 
It depends on many different things. 
Youi' affectionate son, 

Clifford A. Wells. 



APRIL, 1916 

A High Class Batman — A Window Cleaning Incident — 
A Joke at the Expense of "the Family" — When Sir 
Sam Said, "Where Are You From?" — When Napo- 
leon Was Menacing England — Farms Tilled by Old 
Men and Boys — The Marvel of Voluntary Enlist- 
ment in England — An Easter Service in a Meadow — 
"Well, We Have a Good Navy, Anyway"— The Bat- 
man's Remark. 

West Sandling, Kent, 

April 2, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

Your parcel of socks, etc., reached me two 
days ago, and was very welcome. The thumb- 
tacks were among the most useful articles en- 
closed, and were the means whereby numerous 
pictures were affixed to the wall of my room. 
The tooth-paste, soap, and foot powder were 
also welcome. Will you please thank Mrs. 
Muir and Mabel (whose address I do not 
know) for the socks. They are very nice ones. 
I shall give to Morgan, *'the tall man," the pair 
intended for him. John Ridd is not with me, 
as he had to go to the hospital for an opera- 
tion. His successor, named Towse, is a much 

115 



116 MONTKExVI. TO VI.MY KIDGE AND EF.YOND 

better batman than Ridd ever was. He is an 
Englishman by birth, who, when war broke 
out, was a florist in Winnipeg. I believe he 
was doing very well, and had a large business. 
He enlisted and came overseas with the First 
Contingent. He was badly wounded at Festu- 
bert, and is still very lame. He would like to 
get his discharge now that he is not fit for 
active service any more, but does not seem 
likely to get it, as he is fit for light duties ( such 
as ofiicers' servant), and so can take the place 
which would otherAvise be occupied by an able 
bodied man. He is really too intelligent a 
person to spend his time cleaning belts and 
shoes, etc., but does all his work perfectly. His 
predecessor felt rather superior to his occupa- 
tion, and showed his feeling by doing things in 
a half-hearted way. I shall give Towse the 
socks intended for Ridd. 

I am still in quarantine, but turn out on 
parade daily with the hundred or more men 
who are also quarantined. We go through the 
daily schedule apart from the rest of the bat- 
talion, although more or less contact is unavoid- 
able. The form of measles prevalent is so 
light that quarantine is not very strictly ob- 
served. Johnson is one of the men quaran- 
tined. He is most indignant at having to 



JVION TKKAl, TO YIIMV lUlXJK AND HKVONl) 1 17 

parade all day, and being made to stay in the 
hut under guard all the rest of the time. He 
says the autliorities seem to tliiuk measles can 
be eommiuiieated only at night. 

There was to have been a grand review of 
the troops of the Canadian Training Division 
at Shorncliffe to-morrow by the Honoiu-able 
The JNlinister of JMilitia, Sir Sam Hughes. 
However, we understand that he has been re- 
called to Canada on pressing business. It is 
wonderful how quickly news spreads among 
the tliousands of troops encamped around 
Shornclifre. 

I have no hope of getting to France for 
some time yet. The Pats have plenty of 
officers at present, and there are several in 
camp who are senior to me, and so will be sent 
over before me. This prolonged sojourn in a 
reserve battalion is tlie one thing about getting 
a commission which I do not like. I should 
have been in the trenches by now if I had not 
been promoted. The first draft from the 
Fourth University Company has already been 
in action. If there is a big drive soon, it will 
probably hasten my summons to the front. If 
not, I ma}^ be here doing little and learning 
little for months. The daily scliedule is so 
little varied tliat I learn little that is new on 



118 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

parade, except that I get more used to the 
feeling of being in command. I do some study- 
ing in the evenings. JNIy work occupies most 
of my time, although it is not hard, and is 
largely in the nature of supervision of what 
others are doing. 

Recentty, when we were still at St. Martin's 
Plain, as Orderly Officer one day I went into 
the hut where I used to sleep. I complained 
that the windows were dirty, ^he man who 
was Hut Orderly {i. e., who had to see that 
everything in the hut Vvas clean and in order) 
that day was a young man of so serious a mien 
and manner that he reminds me of Harry Bal- 
lard. He immediately began a voluble ex- 
planation of why the windows were not 
clean. I was not satisfied with the ex- 
planation, and so ordered him to have them 
cleaned. It happened that he w^as the only 
Hut Orderly that day, although usually there 
are two. In any case, for an unusual piece of 
work like washing windows (which is seldom 
done), he could easily have got some friends 
to help him. But no! the poor conscientious 
fellow spent a considerable portion of the 
morning making the sixteen windows shine as 
they never shone before, in addition to doing 
the sweeping, scrubbing, etc., usually done by 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 119 

two men. It had happened that when he tried 
to explain why the windows had been allowed 
to get so dirty, he had inadvertently called me 
"Sergeant." He had apologized most pro- 
fusely for so doing, and, as it was evidently 
unintentional, I had thought nothing about it, 
although it had amused some of my former 
fellow-privates who heard it. But a distorted 
rumour spread through the company to the 
effect that I had made this poor fellow wash 
sixteen windows as a punishment for calling 
me "Sergeant." I have no fear of being called 
Sergeant again by any of my old comrades. 
The incident caused considerable amusement. 
To-day has been a beautiful summer day. 
Being quarantined I could not go to church, 
but had a walk this afternoon. It is like June 
in Canada. 

With much love, 

Clifford. 

West Sandling, Kent, 

April 6, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

I was hoping to come out of quarantine on 
Monday, but this morning my room-mate went 
to the hospital with measles, and so I am due 
for 16 days more. I am going to apply for 



120 MONTREAL TO A^IMY KIDGE AND BEYOND 

leave Avhen I get out. Robinson, my room- 
mate, was much pleased to be going to the 
hospital. Pie was not feeling very sick, but 
had a beautifid rash. When he comes out of 
the hospital, of course, he will be out of quar- 
antine, while I may still be confined. I have 
not been loafing this last week. I have been 
going to the ranges at Hythe every day, leav- 
nig at 6 A. JNI. and getting back at 1 P. ISL I 
go with quarantined men of course. In the 
afternoon I can go for a walk in the country, 
but have to eat in my own room, and cannot 
enter the JNIess or any other unquarantined 
building. ]\Iost of the men come out of quar- 
antine to-day, so I may have nothing to do 
hereafter, as I cannot associate with those who 
are not in quarantine. 

The family is kind to promote me as it does. 
Some time ago Emma spoke of the responsi- 
bility of "looking after my company," imply- 
ing that I am a INIajor or a Captain at the 
least. And in your letter of jNlarch 10th you 
refer to my being "on the Staff." Am I a 
Brigadier General or only a Colonel? 

In his letter of IMarch 16, father inquires 
about the expected raid on some of the camps 
by Germans in Canadian uniforms, and asks 
where the Germans were expected to come 



MONTREAL TO VIIMY KIDGE AND BFAOND 121 

from. The order to be on our guard came 
from Headquarters and I do not know much 
about it. A careful patrol of the coast by 
night was maintained at the time, and the gen- 
eral impression is that a landing party from 
a submarine was expected. A few desperate 
men disguised as Canadians and armed with 
bombs could do a lot of damage to a sleeping 
and unsuspecting camp, although none of 
them would be able to return to their ship. 
The moral effect of such an attack would be 
very great, especially in Germany, where, of 
course, it would be greatly magnified in the 
press. The attack did not materialise. 

The grand review of the troops of the 
Canadian Training Division took place last 
Monday. Contrary to expectation, Sir Sam 
Hughes remained in England for the occasion. 
I do not know how many troops were reviewed, 
as I had no opportunity to make a careful esti- 
mate, but there must have been at least twelve 
thousand. Sir Sam shook hands with all the 
officers after the review. He even deigned to 
ask me where I was from. This is always a 
hard question for me to answer. I told him 
Montreal, which I call home, although I have 
lived there so little. 

I wonder if you have a map of England 



122 ZNIONTRKAL TO VI3IY KIDGK AND EFAOXD 

^vhich shows all the little plaees in Kent whicli 
I mention in my letters. Along the eoast twc^ 
or three miles apart are Folkestone, Sandgate. 
and Hythe. Shorncliiie is a mile or so inland 
from Sandgate, and Sandling a eonple oi 
miles inland from Plythe. Bert ^loyle is at 
Sandgate. The whole eountryside aronnd is 
sprinkled with camps of Canadian soldiers, 
nsnally two or more battalions together. Here 
at West Sandling there are 4 battalions form- 
ing the 12th Reserve Brigade. At Shorn- 
cliffe there is a permanent barracks of the 
British Army, and has been for a long time. 
Sir John Moore was at one time commander 
of the troops there. From Folkestone to Sand- 
ling the chalk clilt\s rise close to the water's 
edge. From Sandling on, however, they re- 
cede from the coast and there is a broad level 
stretch of conntry. When Napoleon was ex- 
pected to invade England 100 years ago, a 
canal was dng for defensive pnrposes, begin- 
ning where the cliif s recede from the shore and 
rnnning along parallel to the coast for many 
miles. The coast was also lined with ronnd 
gun towers called ^lartello Towers. These 
still stand about a quarter of a mile apart 
for miles along the coast. The plain between 
the cliit's and the water's edire would have 



]MONTREAL TO VIMY lUDGE AND 15EYOND 123 

iiiiide 1111 admirable landing' place for Napo- 
leon. It is here that the Hythe Ranges and 
IMusketry School are situated. 

It is getting late, and as I have to get up at 
five o'clock (no excuses for lateness are ac- 
cepted) to go to the ranges with the quaran- 
tined men, I had better retire. 

Good-night, mother dear, 

With much love, 

Clifford. 

IVest Sandling, 

April 15, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

I have run out of note paper and, as I am 
still in quarantine, I have difBculty in obtain- 
ing any except this which is provided at the 
INIess. I shall write on one side only, so per- 
haps this will do for the portfolio. I have 
very little news to tell this time. I have been 
going to the Hythe Ranges all week, leaving 
about 6. A. M. and getting back about 1 P. M. 
The rest of the day I spend reading, or else go 
for a walk. To-morrow (Sunday) as I am not 
eligible for church parade, I expect to walk to 
Canterbury and back. Canterbury is about 13 
miles from here. 

The Fifth University Company, together 



rJ4 MONTKF.Al. rO vmv KIPGF AND lU YOND 

with a draft for the U. C. K.'s. arrived hero the 
first part o{ the week. The Fifth I'^niversity 
Company makes a tine ap^x\iranee on the pa- 
rade ground. I have not met any of the otHeers 
or men yet. The Stratheona Horse, who were 
sent to Franee as Infantry, now have their 
horses ao-ain. For the tirst time a reoiment of 
Canadian eavalry i^ horses and alU was sent to 
Franee reeently. As. of eourse. eavah'v is of 
no use in treneh warfare, it would seem that 
some ojvn tighting- is expeeted sooner or hiter. 
Drafts are gxnng to the front from this brigade 
ahnost daily. Men returning from the trenehes 
report that two brigades are now allowed for 
eaeh seetion of treneli that was formerly al- 
lotted to one brigade. This means, of eourse, 
a tremendous reserve oi^ men. ^lountains of 
anununition are reported to be aeeumulating. 
All this is regarded as evidenee that some big 
move is Knng prepared for. 

It is quite pathetie to walk through the eoun- 
try and see the farms being tilled by old men 
and boys. It is a rare thing to meet a young 
man o( military age who is not in khaki. /. c. in 
the eountry. In London, they are not so rare. 
In spite of the indignation against young men 
^\ho have taken refuge in munition faetories. 
I am eonvineed that there is no eountrv in the 



INIOXTKEAL TO Y1]MY IMDOE AND r>L:YOND 125 

M'orUl Mhoro so hxvgc a pro])ortioii of the popu- 
lation would voluntarily enlist as did so in 
Creat Britain. The relatively small nunihers 
that have heen obtained under the Compulsion 
^Vet, together with the large number of exemp- 
tions granted by the tribunals, show that the 
great majority of those who should be in the 
army enlisted voluntarily under the Derbj^ 
selieme, or before it eame into operation. 

I reeeived, and enjoyed, a box of eake from 
Glasgow last wet^k, and this week have received 
two Mont real Standards, and a lAtcrary Di- 
gest, all of whieh 1 enjoyed very much. 
Your loving son, 

Clifford. 

West Saudling, Kent, 

April 19, 1916. 
Dkvrest ]Motiiek : 

There has been no Canadian mail for some 
days, so 1 am expecting to receive two or three 
letters from you when it does come. I am still 
in quarantine and so have little to write about. 

I am enclosing three post cards which may 
be interesting. I have marked Caesar's Camp 
on the map as it is rumoured that the bat- 
talion is going to be moved thither. 

One dav last week, when I was at tlie 



VJo ALONUKV Ai i\^ viMY kii\;f. anp rvyonp 

RiVUijes, heavv lirinor at soa wa> audible for 
some time. It was sugiix^sted that the tiriuiX 
might be direeted at tloatiuir mines, but the 
sound was such as to make me believe that 
heavier guns were being used than would be 
necessary to explode mines. There was one 
tremendous explosion, whereupon a eolunm of 
smoke or steam beeame visible on the hori/.on. 
Xot infrequently do ^^e hear tiring whieh we 
cannot aeeount for. and see things we should 
like to have explained. One day 1 wa:> wateh- 
ing a destroyer proceeding leisurely down the 
Channel. Suddenly it swung around and 
starteti otV at full speed in tlie opposite diree- 
tion. I could not tell whether she had reeeived 
a sunmions by wireless, or whether the eom- 
mander had deeided to take afternoon tea in 
Dover. 

Quarantine is not unpleasant this week, as 
I have not had to go on parade at all. Head- 
ing, walking and sleeping take up all my tin\e 
i^when 1 am not eating"^. 

Take good eare of yourself, mother. 1 want 
to tind you strong and well and rested when I 
eome home. 

Your loving son. 

Cl.llvFOKU. 



:\K)N'rKr.AL vo \\m\ kiduk and hkvom) 127 

West Sandlinc/, Kent, 

Ajrril 28, 1916. 
INTy Deak Fatukk, 

^ly (|iiaranliiR\ Avliich lasted nearly four 
ueeks, is at last at an end, and 1 am no long*er 
treated as a leper, but ean mingle with my 
fellow men. 

This has been a most beautiful Easter Sun- 
day. You will be interested in the Kaster serv- 
iee >\hieh was held this morning- in a meadow 
near by. It was attended by all the Protes- 
tants in the l>rigade. The troops formed three 
sides of a lu^llow scpiare, or rather parallelo- 
gram, the oilleers in front of their battalions. 
The statf otlieers stood in the eentre of the rect- 
angle. The pulpit, consisting of six drums 
piled, and covered with the Union Jack, stood 
at the open end of the fonnation. Behind the 
chaplain were the massed bands of the bri- 
gades. The form of service used was that in- 
tended for open air service in the Regular 
Army, and was apparently an abbreviated 
form of the regidar Kpiscopal service. It was 
followed by a short Easter sermon, the whole 
service lasting about three-quarters of an hour. 
From the rising ground on which we were 
standing' we could see for miles over the coun- 



VJS MOMKKAl. TO VniY KllXn-. AND RKYOND 

try, ^vhioh is wonderfully beautiful. The hill- 
sides, well watered by nature, and elosely 
cropped by thousands o( shcvp, appeared as 
green and smooth as well kept lawns. The 
partly ruined eastle of Saltwood (^ where the 
murderers of Thomas-a-l^eeket slept the night 
before they killed him at Canterbury") was 
visible in the distance, surrounded by tall trees 
which may have been standing when Ca\sar 
landed a few miles away. A bin ft* beside \is 
was scarred owing to having been used as a 
machine gun target. During the service an 
aeroplane flew over our heads. These signs of 
warfare, however, seemed nuich less close to us 
and much less real than the quietness and 
peace o^ the service and oi' our natiu'al sur- 
roundings. 

3 [other's letter of April *2 reached me to- 
day, also a box of cake and shortbread. Woth 
were very welcome. AVe have a saying in the 
army which indicates well the optimistic spirit 
which prevails, showing as it does that we al- 
ways look on the bright side of things. AVhen- 
ever anything goes MTong, or an unexpected 
(or in one's own private opinion an unneces- 
sary) disagreeable task is thrust on one, the 
customary remark, uttered in a tone of patient 
resignation and determination not to be dis- 



INION THKAL TO VI INI V IMDCJK AND liiaONI) 129 

couragcd, is ''Well, ^\c luivc a good navy, any- 
way," or ''Thank goodness, we have a navy." 
The other day it was storming so hard that we 
knew it would be ini})ossihle to earry out the 
*l)attle practice" at the ranges according to 
schedule, hut as Divisional Orders said we were 
to go to the Ranges, we went. On arriving at 
the ranges, we were otHeially inforiued that 
the weather conditions were unfavourable, and 
so we marched back again — eight miles alto- 
gether in a driving, pouring rain. When I 
reached my room wet to the skin, my batman's 
greeting was "Good gracions, Mr. Wells, ain't 
it a good thing we have a navy?" 

1 enclose a snapshot taken at St. Martin's 
Plain. I do not remember Aviiether I sent a 
copy of it before. The church in the back- 
ground (St. INIartin's) is one of the oldest in 
England. As you can tell from my expression, 
the sun was shining in my eyes. 

Your affectionate son, 

Clifford A. Wells. 



^fAY, loiti 

An Officer ot' the BInok Devils — The Splendid Work ot 
the Y. M. C. A. — Sleeping in a Bag on the FWr — A 
Russian Platoon from Western Canada — The Russian 
Soldier's love ot' Gambling — "Whoa I" — Visiting Ox- 
ford — A "Cook's Tour" ot" the Trenehes — Canadian 
"Landsturm"— At the Hvthe Ranges. 

12th Bcscirc Battalion, 
St. Martin's Plain, 

Shornclifrc. ^[aj/ 1, /P/f). 
Mv Di-AK Fatukk, 

Yoli Avill bo surprised at tho abovo address, 
and will perhaps bo disappointed when yon 
learn the reason for it. A Li'eneral rearrange- 
ment o{ the Canadian Training Division has 
taken plaee. the idea being to gronp tlie vari- 
ons battalions aeeording to the district in Can- 
ada in whieh tliey ^vere raiseci: all tlie troops 
from any given district being biigaiied to- 
gether. *The V. V, C. T. I. and K. C. K. 
(Koyal Canadian Kegiment. the permanent in- 
fantry foree oi' Canada "> are forming a special 
ilepot by themselves. In the general shuttle, 
several junior otlieers o{ the V. V. C \., I., 

130 



]M()N'nn.AL TO vmv nuxu: and ukvond 1;J1 

incliuiin^i>' niyscir, wore transferred to the 11th 
Reserve Hiittaliou to ^vhich we were formerly 
attaelied. The oilieers who eaiiie over in eharge 
of the varions P. V, C. L. 1. reint'oreenients, 
and those who have seen serviee at the front 
with that nnit, were retained with the Pats, the 
others being transferred. The 11th l^eserve 
l^attahon, to whieh 1 now belong, my eonnee- 
tion with the Pats being severed, is henee forth 
to be eomposed wholly of troops from the Win- 
nipeg distriet, and is to reinforee two battalions 
at tlie front, the Sth (9()th Winnipeg Kitles), 
known as the l^laek Devils (a name given them 
by the Indians in the Nortlnvest Kebellion), 
and the lOth, also oi* AVinnipeg and the AVest. 
To one of these twt) battalions, tlierefore, I 
shall go when my turn eomes to be '^warned 
for the front." One advantage in the transfer 
is that 1 am (]uite well up in the seniority list 
of the subalterns of the 11th, while in the Pats 
I was junior to every other offieer except those 
of the Fifth University Company. 

In your letter of tlie 12th, whieh reached me 
to-day, you speak of an enclosure given you by 
a train hand in iMissouri. This was not in the 
envelope. The papers whieh you send reach 
me at odd intervals, the postal serviee being 



132 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

somewhat deranged with reference to parcels 
and papers. 

I could have some of the cards of which you 
sent a sample placed in the camp Y. M. C. A. 
along with the other cards and tracts which are 
always on the tables there. The Y. M. C. A. 
is doing a splendid work over here, holding 
services on Sunday evening, concerts during 
the week, providing stationery free of charge, 
and in general providing a place of amusement 
where the men can go in the evening and dur- 
ing ofF-hours. Officers are not allowed in the 
Y. M. C. A., except the Honorary Captain in 
charge. The Lord Roberts Club (a Church of 
England Club similar to the Y. M. C. A.) and 
the Salvation Army also have a hut each in the 
camp conducted for the same purpose, and on 
the same lines, as the Y. M. C. A. 

The reconstructed 11th Reserve Battalion 
marched back to St. Martin's Plain on Satur- 
day, and found we were thrust in on top of two 
other battalions, which are to move out to- 
morrow. In the meantime we are very much 
crowded. I have been sleeping on the floor in 
my sleeping bag. I find I sleep just as well 
as in a bed. 

Your affectionate son, 

Clifford A. Wells. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 133 

London, W. C, May 7, WIG. 
Dearest Mother, 

Here I am in London again, this time on 
duty, not on leave. Since Thursday I have 
been doing some special work for the bat- 
talion at the Canadian Record Office in Lon- 
don. I finished it last night, and leave for 
Shorncliffe to-night. It has been a very pleas- 
ant change. Apart from this little trip noth- 
ing worth mentioning has happened since I 
last wrote. 

At West Sandling one of the companies of 
the battalion to which I belonged when I was 
there had in it a platoon composed wholly of 
Russians from Western Canada. Many of 
them could speak no English. Their N. C. 
O.'s acted as interpreters. They all under- 
stood how to act in response to the usual com- 
mands given in drill, but anything out of the 
ordinary had to be explained through the in- 
terpreters, or by illustration. They do their 
work with a seriousness and enthusiasm that 
some of our other soldiers would do well to 
emulate. Their besetting sin is gambling. 
They would sit up all night gambling if they 
were not closely watched. One day when we 
were having a general cleaning up of the lines. 



134 ]VIONTKEAI. TO YIMY KIDGE AND BEYOND 

I was looking after the row of huts where the 
Russians were quartered. When everything 
was ready, the Colonel came to inspect them. I 
had made sure that the Russians had their hut 
spotless and that the men were standing by 
their bunks. When the O. C. reached the next 
hut to theirs, it occurred to me to make sure 
that everything was O. K. in the Russian hut. 
When I looked in, I found no one in his place, 
every one smoking, and about a dozen different 
card games in progress. It was by a tremen- 
dous effort on my part, seconded by the Eng- 
lish speaking N. C. O.'s, that we got all the 
cards out of sight, and every one shoved into 
his place just in time for the ColoneFs inspec- 
tion. By the time the Colonel reached the next 
hut, probably they were all gambling again. 
On the parade ground the Russians behave 
splendidly, but off parade they are difficult to 
manage. 

An officer returning to camp late one night 
was halted by a Russian sentry with the com- 
mand "Whoa!" instead of "Halt!" 

There are many interesting things I should 
like to write about, but discussion of military 
matters is strictly forbidden, so I have to con- 
fine my letters to personal affairs, and matters 
of general knowledge. 



MON'JHKAL 'J'O \IMY JUDGK AND JiKVONI) 135 

On Good Friday I went to C.antcrbiny, and 
attended a serviee at the Catliedral. 

Please take good care of yourself, mother, 
and lie down for a while every day. 
Your loving son, 

Clifford. 

11th Reserve Battalion, 
St, Martins Plain, 

Shornclifl'e, May 8, 1016. 
My Dear Frank, 

Your letter of April IGth received a couple 
of days ago. I was in London on duty part of 
last week, and while there called on Mrs. Wig- 
field. She spoke of receiving a letter from 
Florence which spoke enthusiastically of your 
new home. Mrs. Wigfield has kindly con- 
sented to look after my trunk containing sur- 
plus baggage when I go overseas, and to send 
me from time to time things which I may re- 
quire from it. I find it much 2>leasanter to })e 
an officer than to be a non-commissioned officer 
or private. I had more fun as a private than 
as an N. C. O., biit I should not now have my 
commission had I not passed through the vari- 
ous non-commissioned ranks. As a private 
one is free from responsibility, and, when pos- 
sessed of a strong constitution and good health, 



136 MONTREAL TO VIMY IIIDGE AND BEYOND 

does not find the work too exhausting. I did 
not find the position of an N. C. O., who must 
be an example of mechanical perfection in the 
duties of a private, so congenial as I find that 
of an officer whose duties are more theoretical. 

I am still engaged in the routine of life in 
a reserve battalion. Drafts come from Can- 
ada, are trained in musketry and bayonet- 
fighting and other necessary accomplishments, 
and are drafted over to France as they are 
needed by their respective units. The officers 
of the reserve battalion are in charge of train- 
ing these men, and are themselves called upon 
from time to time to take the place of those 
officers of their respective battalions who be- 
come casualties. What is kee]3ing me here so 
long is the number of slightly wounded officers 
who come to the reserve battalion from hos- 
pital and \vho are always sent back to France 
in preference to those who have never been 
in the trenches. 

I have been transferred from the P. P. C. 
L. I. to the 11th Reserve Battalion, which is 
reinforcing the 8th and the 10th Battalions 
(both of Winnipeg) at the front. Thus I 
shall go either to the 8th or the 10th when my 
turn to go overseas finally comes. After six 
months in a Reserve Depot, one is quite will- 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 137 

ing to go to France. The men always march 
off very happily, singing and cheering, with 
the band playing. 

I see by my watch that it is three minutes to 
eleven. At eleven the electric lights are shut 
off in the camp, so I must close in haste. 
Your affectionate brother, 

Clifford. 

llth Reserve Battalion, 

Shorncliff'e, May 16, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

Last Friday evening I got away from camp 
with three days' leave beginning officially at 
Reveille Saturday. Friday night I spent in 
London, and Saturday morning I proceeded to 
Oxford, where I stayed until ]\Ionday at 
Queen's College with Carl Weber, a classmate 
of mine at Hopkins. I enjoyed my visit very 
much. I dined with him in the old (16th cen- 
tury) dining hall, and slept in one of the vacant 
rooms in the college. There are less than 500 
students at Oxford now. Before the war there 
were over 3,000. Most of those who are there 
are foreigners or physically unfit. Although 
life at the University is far different from 
what it is in peace times, I was able to imagine 
what it would be like under normal conditions. 



138 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

The thing that surprised me most was the 
strict discipline to which the students are sub- 
jected. They have to pay a fine if they return 
to college after 9 in the evening, and are liable 
to suspension if they are out after 11. They 
have to answer to their names every morning. 
In many ways life at Oxford resembles life in 
camp. On the other hand, the students are 
not compelled to attend any lectures which do 
not interest or concern them. In this and 
other respects it is very unlike an American 
University. One pleasing feature is that ev- 
erybody there takes some outdoor exercise of 
one sort or another every day. In American 
colleges a small proportion devote a large 
amount of time to athletics, and the majority 
take no part in them. Hopkins seems very 
remote now, and the things that interested me 
there, very trivial. I remember that Prof. 
Gildersleeve, the famous Greek scholar at 
Hopkins, once remarked that when he re- 
turned from taking part in the American Civil 
War, an Academic life at first seemed very 
unattractive, and the life of a cowboy in the 
West attracted him far more. I am beginning 
to feel the same way. I feel that I should like 
to go on a Polar Expedition when I get 
through with my trip to Berlin. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 139 

I sometimes feel quite discouraged over my 
prospects for getting to the front. No officers 
have been asked for, for the 8th or 10th Bat- 
talions, for a long while, and there is no telling 
when I shall be called on. It is, of course, a 
necessary and important work that I am en- 
gaged in — assisting in the training of troops 
for the front. But when one has supervised 
the training of scores of troops and seen them 
march off gaily with the bands playing, and 
everybody cheering them on their way to the 
boat at Folkestone, it is irksome to be kept 
waiting indefinitely oneself. However, there 
is nothing to do but to wait. My chance is 
bound to come sooner or later, especially if 
the long-postponed ''big drive" (which is at 
present expected [unofficially] in September) 
ever does come off. I have at least the satis- 
faction of knowing that I am not remaining 
here of my own free will. If I had known 
that my commission would mean this indefinite 
sojourn here, I should not have been so anxious 
for it. If the war ends without my getting to 
France (which is too horrible to think of) I 
shall be extremely sorry that I ever accepted 
a commission. My room-mate (a snapshot of 
whom is enclosed) is in the same situation as 



140 INIONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

I. The other Sergeant of the 4th University 
Company who was promoted with us, was sent 
to the Canadian JMilitary School for a three 
months' course. He is at present in France 
on a "Cook's Tour" of the trenches. Officers 
taking the general three months' course are 
sent to France for about three weeks, during 
which time they are attached to a battalion at 
the front, and learn at first hand what is re- 
quired of an officer in the trenches. This con- 
stitutes what is known as a "Cook's Tour." 
Even that is better than nothing By the Vv^ay, 
the only commissions given to members of the 
4th University Company, except to a few who 
were acquainted with Sam Hughes, or some 
other general, were the three referred to above. 
The wholesale promotions which were prom- 
ised in Montreal never materialised. 

I have been quite busy of late. Capt. Mc- 
Leod of the 8th Battalion (to which I hope to 
go some day) , who won the Mihtary Cross for 
holding a section of trench with a few men 
when the Germans had broken through on 
each side, is my company commander. He 
has been acting as Quarter-master for the last 
few weeks, and as I am the Senior Subaltern 
of the company, a good deal of the routine 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 141 

work of the company commander falls on me. 
This is a splendid experience. The company 
is very weak numerically at present, as numer- 
ous drafts of men (but alas! no officers) have 
been sent to France recently, and no rein- 
forcements from Canada have come lately. 
Thus the Company Commander's work is not 
so great as usual. 

''Lights Out" has just sounded, and, al- 
though officers do not have to retire yet, I 
seldom sit up late. I am in splendid health. 
Reveille sounds at 5.30. From 6 to 6A5 the 
officers take P. T. (Physical Training) . Dur- 
ing the morning we have another hour of P. T. 
and during the afternoon an hour of bayonet 
fighting (very strenuous — I enjoy it), all this 
in addition to the exercise which is incidental 
to the regular day's work. I am outdoors 
nearly all the time. 

Good night, mother dear. 

Your loving son, 

Clifford. 

P. S. Lt. Higgins, whom you know, trans- 
ferred to the artillery some months ago. I 
met him recently. He had just returned from 
a "Cook's Tour," which he enjoj^ed, and which 
I think did him a lot of good. 



142 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

11th Reserve Battalion, 

May 25, 1916, 
My Dear Father, 

I have all my overseas equipment now, ex- 
cept field glasses, which are very expensive, 
and not absolutely necessary in the trenches. 
The American-made glasses which are carried 
by many Canadians are not of very high qual- 
ity (like American ammunition). Perhaps it 
would be fairer to say that they are not of uni- 
form quality. Some are good, others very 
poor. It is possible to order these American 
glasses through our Q. M. Stores, but if I de- 
cide to get a pair, I shall get an English pair 
through the Army and Navy Stores. 

I believe I told you that Jack Grant went 
overseas with the first draft of the Fourth Uni- 
versity Company. Harry Nesbit went later. 
Johnson is being trained as a signaller and 
has not yet gone. I have not yet seen D. Mc- 
Tavish, nor have I seen Gordon Crossley or 
Reginald Jones for some time. 

This week I am taking a party to the 
Ranges at Hythe daily. I forward under 
separate cover a copy of daily orders which 
may prove interesting, and which will be a 
souvenir of this part of my military career. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 143 

We have in camp a number of officers of the 
first contingent, and also part of the 61st Bat- 
tahon, which arrived from Canada compara- 
tively recently. The first contingent officers 
refer to the 61st officers as the "Landsturm." 
This enrages the latter. I occupy a middle 
position. Compared with the first contingent 
officers, I am a novice, but compared to those 
who have just arrived from Canada, I am an 
old soldier. 

It is now nine o'clock, but I am writing 
without artificial light (on account of the Day 
Light Saving Bill), and should be able to do 
so for nearly an hour more. Considering the 
time at which I must rise (2.30 as I have to 
see that my range party get their breakfast) 
I had better turn in. 

Hoping things are going well at home and 
in the church, 

I remain, 

Your affectionate son, 

Clifford A. Wells. 

Shornclife, May 29, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

I have plenty of time to write letters this 
week, as I am Orderly Officer for the week, 
but unfortunately there is little to write about. 



14-1 ]MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

The usual routine of duties occurs daily, never 
anything exciting or very interesting. A Zep- 
pelin did drop bombs near enough to be heard 
here about ten days ago, and of course the 
lights in the camp were promptly extinguished 
when news of her approach was telephoned to 
us. But even a mildly-interesting event like 
that is an oasis in the arid desert of life in a 
reserve battalion. 

All last week I went to the Hythe Ranges 
daily with a party of about 60 men who were 
shooting their musketry course. I fired the 
whole course myself and qualified as a First 
Class shot, but not as a jNIarksman. Men are 
classified as JNIarksmen, First, Second, and 
Third Class shots, according to the total num- 
ber of points they make in the various prac- 
tices (deliberate fire, rapid fire, snap shooting, 
i, e., shooting at a target which is visible for 
only four seconds, etc., at different distances) 
which constitute the course. I did not shoot 
so well as when I fired part of the course (I 
did not complete it) just before receiving my 
commission last January. 

I hope everything is going well at home. 
Take good care of yourself, mother dear. I 
am greatly disappointed at being kept here so 
long, but at least you do not need to worry 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 145 

about me, as I am perfectly safe here, in com- 
fortable quarters, and am liable to be here for 
some time yet. Unless there is an invasion of 
England, an eventuality which is well guarded 
against, I am unlikely to do any fighting for 
months yet. 

With much love, 

Your son, 

Clifford. 



JUNE, 1916 

The Transfer from the Princess Pats — Luck from a 
Wounded Foot — The Australians' Answer to the 
Jocular Germans — A Commissioned Simpleton — 
Studying the Lewis Gun — Impatient to Go to the 
Front— At the C. M. S.— "Who Is the Idiot?" 

11 Beserve Battalion, 

Shorncliffe, June 3, 1916, 
My Dear Father, 

You ask whether I was pleased or otherwise 
at leaving the P. P. C. L. I. I was sorry to 
leave a regiment which has become so famous, 
and I was also sorry to leave my various ac- 
quaintances and friends in that unit. But 
other considerations more than counterbalance 
these unpleasant features of the transfer, and 
on the whole I am pleased with the change. 
These other considerations are (1) a vast im- 
provement in my relative seniority. The 61st 
Battalion which left Canada in March is "at- 
tached for training" to the 11th. I am, of 
course, senior to all the subalterns of the 61st, 
and stand well up in the list of the 11th. (2) 
IMost of the P. P. C. L. I. officers with whom I 
was associated, had been in the trenches. A 
certain gulf inevitably exists in a reserve bat- 

146 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 147 

talion between those who have "done then- bit" 
at the front, and those who are only hoping to 
do so some day. (3) Chances for being sent to 
the front are improved, inasmuch as the 11th 
is reinforcing three battalions at the front, 
none of which has so large a reserve of officers 
as the Pats. (4) St. Martin's Plain is far su- 
perior to an}^ other camp in the neighbour- 
hood, with respect to location, quarters, etc. 
If I am to wait very long in England, I prefer 
to wait amid pleasant surroundings. 

Although my opportunities of being sent to 
France soon are improved with the change, 
they are still so slim that I have applied to the 
C. O. to be sent to the Canadian Military 
School on the next three months' course. This 
course, which qualifies one to be a Field Officer 
(although of course it does not mean promo- 
tion to that rank in the near future, but simply 
means that if I should remain in the army for 
years until I was promoted to Field Rank, I 
should not need to qualify for it again) is con- 
sidered an excellent course in every respect. 
It includes all branches of infantry training 
with special reference, of course, to conditions 
at the front at the present time. It also in- 
cludes a "Cook's Tour" of the ti^nches in 
France. One of the three Sergeants of the 



148 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

4th UniYersity Company who \Yere promoted 
in January was (accidentally) sent to take the 
three months' course when the other two were 
sent on the Bombing Course. He was attached 
to the 8th Battalion (Black Devils) during 
his ^'Cook's Tour," was wounded in the foot 
by a stray bullet while leaving the trenches one 
night, and is now in a London hospital, having 
the time of his life. The King and Queen vis- 
ited the hospital recently, the former stopping 
to chat with him. Lords and Ladies drive him 
around in motor cars. This individual's name 
is Millet.^ He hails from Nova Scotia, and 
was formerly a student at Acadia. He will be 
"some" hero when he parades the streets of 
Wolfville once more. Some people have all 
the luck. 

I should have applied to be sent on the three 
months' course long ago, but that I was hoping 
to be sent to France w^ithout it. Owing to 
the large number of promotions from the ranks 
w^hich take place in France, this hope is getting 
more and more unlikely of fulfillment, and so 
I shall consider myself extremely lucky if I 

^ J. Stanley Millet, a graduate of Acadia, was re- 
ported killed in action a few weeks after the death of 
Lieut. Wells. Doubtless this is the Lieut. Millet referred 
to here. Note. — Lieut. Millet was wounded, not killed, 
at this time. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 149 

secure the next appointment on the three 
months' course. 

The chief topic of conversation to-day is, 
of course, the great naval battle in the North 
Sea. I prefer to reserve comment on it until 
further particulars are published. 

The following incident, and many others 
like it, show how wonderfully well informed 
the Germans are with regard to happenings 
behind the British line. A Major just back 
from France vouches for the truth of it. 
When a battalion of Australians took over a 
section of trench for the first time, they were at 
once gi^eeted by a sign raised from the German 
trench, reading ''Welcome, Australians! Come 
across without your arms and we will give you 
a splendid welcome," or words to that effect. 
The Anzacs replied by a sign as follows: 
"Come across here with your arms, and we will 
give you a splendid welcome." 

Your affectionate son, 

Clifford A. Wells. 

lltli Reserve Battalion, 

SJiorncUffe, June 7, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

A lovely box came from you to-day. I like 
everything in it, especially the socks (which 



150 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

are light and suitable for summer), and the 
maple sugar, which is delicious. 

I am still living here at St. Martin's, but am 
attending a course on the Lewis Machine Gun 
at the C. M. S. This course lasts only two 
weeks. The Lewis Gun is hardly a machine 
gun in the ordinary sense of the word; it is 
really only an automatic rifle. Knowledge of 
this gun should form part of the training of 
every infantry officer, as it is coming into use 
more and more, and is employed mainly in 
conjunction with ordinary rifle fire. For this 
reason I am glad to have this course, but I am 
not sufficiently gifted as a machinist to wish to 
be a machine gun officer. 

Canadian casualties last week are estimated 
at from 7,000 to 10,000. We received orders 
on Sunday that every available man in camp 
should be ready to proceed to France on Tues- 
day. A company from another battalion was 
also given us to equip. This meant a tremen- 
dous amount of work. Most of the officers 
worked all Monday night getting the draft 
ready. The new men had to be examined by 
the Medical Officer, issued with Webb Equip- 
ment, shown how to put it together, and how 
to pack in it the numerous articles they are 
required to take with them (it is quite an art 



MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 151 

to pack everything required), identity discs 
had to be stamped with the name, number, bat- 
talion and religion of each man, etc. By four 
o'clock in the morning they were ready, and 
I marched the 300 of them to ShornclifFe Sta- 
tion, where the train was waiting to take them 
to Southampton. Our own men were prac- 
tically ready when the call came, but the com- 
pany given us to equip were not ready at all, 
having only recently come from Canada, hence 
the great amount of work. The 11th is prac- 
tically depleted of men available for draft now, 
only those regimentally employed (mostly 
casualties) being left. 

A good many things do not seem quite fair 
in regard to the issue of commissions. For 
example, there are in the trenches many Lieu- 
tenants who came overseas as Lieutenants 
with the First Contingent. In the "Land- 
sturm" battalion which are just now arriving 
from Canada, many Captains and Majors 
were junior to these First Contingent Lieu- 
tenants when the latter left Canada. For this 
reason battalions at the front very seldom ask 
for officers to be sent to them who are above 
the rank of Lieutenant. It would not be right 
to put a Captain who obtained his captaincy 
by waiting in Canada over a Lieutenant who 



152 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

is only a Lieutenant because he has been at 
the front from the first and has had no chance 
of promotion. The result is an over supply of 
Captains in England. JNIany of them volun- 
tarily revert to the rank of Lieutenant and go 
out as juniors to the Lieutenant who preceded 
them. 

There is with the 11th at present a Lieu- 
tenant who came to England as a civilian and 

through friendship with General secured 

a commission, and was attached to the 11th 
Battalion about two weeks ago. He knows ab- 
solutely nothing about soldiering. JNIost of 
the officers will scarcely speak to him. The 
unfairness of it is this, that as he is absolutely 
useless until he receives some training, he has 
to be given the preference when it comes to de- 
tailing officers for various courses. I know 
enough of the duties of an officer to "carr^^ on" 
in a reserve battalion. He does not. Hence, 
he may be sent to the C. M. S. for the three 
months' course in preference to me. If this 
happens, I shall feel more like committing as- 
sault and battery on a British subject than I 
have felt for some time. The poor simpleton 
apparently does not realise that there is any- 
thing unusual about his position in the bat- 
talion. 



montrp:al to vimy ridge and beyond 153 

I am still using my little loose-leaf pocket 
book for notes, but at present have a good 
supply of paper on hand for it. Please con- 
tinue to send me paper for it from time to time. 

The various articles which you send me in 
my box are very useful. The rubber bands, 
thumb tacks, paper clips, etc., all come in very 
handy. I don't see how you manage to think 
of so many useful little things. 

It is eleven o'clock. The electric lights have 
just been switched off, and I am finishing this 
note by the light of a candle. 

Good night, INIolly dear. Take good care 
of yourself, so that when I come home I shall 
find you well and strong. 

Your loving son, 

Clifford. 

Slwrncliffe, June 12, 1916. 
]My Dear Father, 

I wired you to-day: "Please cable ten 
pounds. Am well." Last month my three 
days' duty in London (the Government allow- 
ance by no means covered expenses) and my 
three days' leave (I have to travel first class) 
together with the cost of a revolver, holster 
and pouch, compass, and other articles of 
equipment, have left me rather close hauled 



154 MOXTRE^U. TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

financially, and as I like to have a reserve on 
hand over here as well as in Canada, I decided 
to cable for the above-mentioned portion of my 
assigned pay accimiulation. JNIy pay is de- 
posited monthly in the Bank of jNIontreal, 9 
Waterloo Place, London, S. W. Perhaps I 
should have mentioned this fact in my cable, 
so that the money might be sent direct to that 
bank, but any other means of transmission 
will be satisfactory. All expenses incidental 
to sending the money will of course come out 
of the assigned pay. I hope this will not be 
much trouble. 

The Canadian casualties have been ex- 
tremely heavy this last week. Four P. P. C. 
L. I. officers whom I knew were killed and 
others wounded. Of the five Sergeants of the 
old Fourth University Company, one has been 
killed, two wounded, and the other two are 
sitting in this room writing letters, and won- 
dering when we shall have a chance to do our 
bit at the front. If I had been at the front 
and had come back, I should be more con- 
tented here, but of course, no one can be satis- 
fied with England until he has been in Flan- 
ders. 

Nine months ago I should have considered 
it a great hardship to have to spend two weeks 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 155 

learning the, to me, uninteresting details of 
the workings of a complicated piece of ma- 
chinery like a machine gun. But I am almost 
enjoying my investigations of the internal 
mechanism of the Lewis Gun, a course on 
which, as I told mother in my last letter, is at 
present occupying my time. Not that I am a 
mechanical genius, or that I shall ever volun- 
tarily devote any great portion of my time to 
tinkering with wheels, springs, bolts, screws, 
or any sort of machinery, but that my nine 
months of dealing with strictly practical op- 
erations has caused even a complicated ma- 
chine to appear to me less mysterious and less 
uninviting. In plain English, I am getting 
on quite well with my machine gun course. 

I suppose you wonder why I am not sent to 
the front. I have discussed this point in pre- 
vious letters, but as it is seldom out of my 
mind, I shall mention it again. There are three 
reasons, as it appears to me to-night, one posi- 
tive, and two negative. The one positive rea- 
son, I suppose, is that there is v/ork to be 
done here in preparing drafts for the front 
which I am capable of doing, and have per- 
formed satisfactorily in the past. The chief 
argument against sending me is that I have 
never been at the front, and officers of one sort 



156 MONTKEAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

or another (either those who have recovered 
from wounds, or men who have been sent back 
from France to take commissions), to whom 
this argument does not apply, are usually 
available when this battalion is called upon for 
officers for the front. Another argument which 
might be alleged against me is, that I have no 
certificate from an Officers' Training Corps. 
It is to remove the possibility of this argument 
being used, as well as to obtain the excellent 
training afforded, that I have applied to be 
sent to the school for the next three months' 
course, which starts in about a month. Prob- 
ably, also, the battalion staff finds it more con- 
venient to keep a few officers who are accus- 
tomed to the routine of the Reserve Battalion 
than to have all the officers changing all the 
time. If I go to the school, I shall ( 1 ) receive 
a first class training, (2) probably be sent on 
a "Cook's Tour," (3) possibly be sent direct to 
be permanently attached to a unit at the front, 
(4) remove the possibility of lack of training 
being used as an argument for keeping me 
here. This was hinted as a reason by the O. C. 
the last time I applied to be sent to France, 
although I am not sure that the inconvenience 
referred to above is not the real reason for 
keeping a few officers here for so long. One 



MONTRExlL TO VI MY RIDGE AND BEYOND 157 

Captain has been here since the autumn of 
1914. If I should have the good luck to be 
warned for the front, I shall let you know. 
Your affectionate son, 

Clifford. 

11th Reserve Battalion, 

Shorncliffe, June 17, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

I have not much to write about this time. I 
am still with the 11th Reserve, and have no 
immediate prospect of getting away. 

You ask if I have socks enough. I am well 
supplied at present. If you send any more in 
the near future, I should like them lighter than 
the heaviest of those I have received. The 
heavy ones are just the thing for winter, but 
are a little too warm for summer wear. 

I saw the name of Lieut. Ince (Billy I sup- 
pose) in the casualty list under the head of 
"Missing" the other day. There have been a 
great many names I know in the lists recently. 

I am pleased to have spent a winter and 
spring in England. The former was unpleas- 
ant (like a Baltimore winter, only more so), 
but the latter has been beautiful. I have never 
seen fields so smooth and green, or such beau- 
tiful hedges. On a green hillside near here 



158 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

some trenches have been dug. The hill forms 
part of the chalk cliffs, and the earth that has 
been dug out of the trenches contains a great 
deal of chalk. From a distance, the excavated 
chalky soil appears almost pure white beside 
the green grass, giving a very beautiful effect. 

I am enclosing a Musketry Score Book in 
which are entered my scores in the Classifica- 
tion Practices which I fired last month. My 
total is not very good. Conditions were not at 
all favourable for me, as I had nearly 100 men 
to look after, and could only fire hurriedly be- 
tween times. 

I have an idea that I may be sent to the 
famous Musketry School at Hythe for a course 
in musketry. On my return I should be made 
Assistant Musketry Officer of the Battalion, 
and later on Musketry Officer. The Hythe 
School has been established for a great many 
years, and is the best musketry school in the 
Empire, if not in the world. It is, of course, 
a permanent institution of the Regular Army, 
and not a temporarj^ school like the Canadian 
Military School at Shorncliffe. I should be 
delighted at the chance of taking the course, 
but for the fact that it would still further de- 
lay my getting to France. I do not know 
whether I shall be sent or not, but have learned 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 159 

that the present Musketry Officer has applied 
for me to be sent there to qualify as his as- 
sistant. With my Grenade Course, Lewis 
Gun Course, and this Musketry Course, I shall 
have all the special courses I want. All I shall 
want then will be a general officers' training 
course and practical experience at the front. 
The Musketry Course is, however, only a pos- 
sibility, not a certainty. You may be sure I 
shall not stay in a Reserve Battalion any 
longer than I have to. 

Will you please send me a Ross Rifle Man- 
ual, a little hand-book describing the mechan- 
ism of the Ross Rifle? I believe there are sev- 
eral such publications. Any one will do. I 
have not seen any of them over here. Will you 
also ask father to give Ned the money for the 
belt which he is sending me. After this my 
assigned pay will not be disturbed by me, but 
the equipment which I had to get together 
with my other expenses, reduced my bank ac- 
count to a rather small figure, and so I wired 
for ten pounds to replenish it. Things are 
terribly expensive over here, very different 
from three years ago. 

Good night, mother dear. 

With much love, 

Clifford. 



160 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

11th Reserve Battalion, 

June 25, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

To-day I received two letters from you, one 
dated June 6tli, the other June 9th. I was 
very glad to get them, as I have received no 
others for over a week. 

In my last letter I spoke of the possibility 
of being sent to the Hythe Musketry School. 
That is not coming to pass, as I am attending 
the three months' course at the C. M. S. (Ca- 
nadian I^Iilitary School). This gives a splen- 
did up-to-date general training for an Infan- 
try Officer. It includes everything an officer 
should know, — engineering, organisation and 
administration, military law, topography, tac- 
tics (my favourite subjects), riding, en- 
trenching, drill, etc., etc. It is really a Sand- 
hurst Course compressed into three months' 
space. As a consequence we are kept tremen- 
dously busy. We begin with an hour's squad 
drill before breakfast, an hour's riding after 
breakfast, then lectures for the rest of the 
morning. In the afternoon, more lectures, or 
some outdoor exercises, like entrenching. 
There are two Lieut. -Colonels, and a dozen 
Majors in the class, besides Captains and 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 161 

Lieutenants. I wish I had had the training 
months ago. I am still quartered with the 
11th, but have to be at the school by 7 A. M. 
The daj^'s work at the school finishes with an 
hour's squad drill from 5 to 6 P. M. One has 
to do a lot of studying in the evening to 
keep up. 

Thanks for the handkerchief enclosed in one 
of your letters to-day. Handkerchiefs are al- 
ways welcome. 

After the full reports of the naval battle 
were published, it became evident that it was 
a victory for our fleet, first in that they frus- 
trated the German objective, whatever it may 
have been, and second, that they inflicted 
heavier losses than they themselves suffered. 
If only the battleship fleet could have cut off 
the Germans, it would have been an over- 
whelming victory. Great indignation was ex- 
pressed by the English press at the misleading 
tone of the first reports of the battle, which 
gave our losses and left the impression that 
the Germans had suffered comparatively little. 

One of the leading papers published a very 
strong article demanding to know who was 
responsible for the misleading report. The 
article was headed, ''Who is the Idiot?" 

I am sorry you have not been up to the 



162 IMONTEEAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

mark. Please try to have a good rest when 
you go to visit Mrs. Elliot. I am very com- 
fortable here, and find many things which are 
enjoyable, and many which are amusing. 
Take good care of yourself, mother dear. 

Clifford. 

P. S. If you should ever have occasion to 
cable to me, the only address necessary is, 
11th, Canadians, England. After I go to 
France the following would be sufficient: 
Battalion, Caladians, B. E. F. 

Thank you for the map of Kent, which I 
received in good condition and which is hang- 
ing on the wall beside me. 



JULY, 1916 

Training in Horseback Riding — Cavalry Training for 
"Shock Action" — Two Days in London Before Cross- 
ing to France — Popularity of Colonel Lipsett — The 
Badge of the Winnipeg Rifles — Nothing Matters but 
Duty — Exasperating Delay — Definition of Terms — 
Hearing Guns 75 Miles Away — The Disadvantage of 
Having a Name Beginning with W. — Canadian Ca- 
noes at Hythe — Can Canada Maintain Four Divisions 
in the Field? — Why Folkestone Escaped German 
Raids. 

Shorncliffe, July 2nd, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

Nothing much to write about this week. I 
am hard at work at the C. M. S. The course 
is splendid, up to date in every particular. 
There is nothing to compare with it in Canada. 
I am at the school from 7 A. M. to 6 P. M. 
every day except Saturday and Sunday. Sat- 
urday morning is given up to examinations 
each week. 

The course in riding under a regular cav- 
alry instructor is quite an education in itself. 
We were told the first day, and it is repeated 
whenever necessary, that it is far better to fall 

163 



1(U 3I0NTKKAL TO VIMY KIDGK AND IH-AOND 

off and break your neck than to hoki on to the 
arch of the saddle. Xo necks have been broken 
yet, but there are cases of falhng off nearly 
every day. I have managed to stick on under 
all circumstances hitherto. Before we get 
through, ^ve shall be riding cross-country, 
jmnping fences, etc. One has to be able to 
ride at a full gallop using neither reins nor stir- 
rups, and keeping the arms folded. I find the 
ride every morning the pleasantest part of the 
day. 

The '*big drive" has apparently commenced 
at last. AVe are anxiously awaiting further 
reports as to its progress. It will not be over 
in a week, but it really does look as if the be- 
ii'innino' of a series of advances had arrived. 
Canadian cavalry in France and England is 
training hard for ''shock action," /. e,^ with 
swords and lances, as though open fighting is 
expected some time. Canadian and Indian 
cavalry are reported to be training in the 
neighbourhood of Verdim. 

I am sorry you could not visit George on 
his birthday. It would have been pleasant 
for him, and the I'^st woidd do you good. 

Take all the rest you can, mother. 
With love, 

Clifford. 



MONTIJKAL TO YIIMV IvMDCJK AND 15KVON1) 105 

London, W, C, July 5, 1016, 
Deabest JMotiii.k, 

I received your letter of June 10, yesterday. 
Tlie picture of you standing beside the snow 
bank is lovely. I am delighted with it, and 
think it is one of the best photos you ever had 
taken. 

Yesterday I was warned to be ready on Fri- 
day to proceed overseas to the 8tli Battalion. 
This is the battalion of which I have already 
written to you — recruited by the 90th Winni- 
peg Rifles, and is called the Black Devils or 
IJttle Black Devils, or more often simply the 
L. B. D.'s. This is what the regiment was 
called by the Indians in the Northwest Rebel- 
lion. At least one of the Indians who fought 
against the regiment in the rebellion is now 
serving in its ranks. I know many of the offi- 
cers of this battalion. Two of them have been 
my company commanders at different times 
since I got my commission. At the second 
battle of Ypres the 8th was one of the bat- 
talions at the extreme left of the Canadian 
line, and made a wonderful stand with the 
Cxermans all around them. You may not have 
heard so much of the L. B. D.'s as of the Pats, 
but I am just as well pleased to be going to the 



166 :moxtreajl to vimy kidge and beyoxd 

former as I would be to go to the latter. I 
know many of the officers of both battalions, 
but think that, on the whole, I shall be better 
satisfied to be with the 8th than with the P. P. 
C. L. I. I shall be going out with three other 
officers from the 11th, and shall be going to a 
battalion where I know many of the officers, 
N. C. O.'s and men, and so am really very for- 
tunate. You have, I think, a University Com- 
pany cap badge. I shall send you a P. P. C. 
L. I. badge, an 11th Reserve Battalion Badge, 
and a L. B. D. badge, so that you will have a 
complete record of the various units to which 
I have been attached. Collar badges, if j^ou 
have any, are not worth keeping. The 8th 
battalion badge consists of a little Black 
Devil, with the words "Hosti Acie Nominati," 
i, e,j "Xamed by the enemy in battle." This is, 
of course, the badge of the Winnipeg Rifles. 

I have two days' leave, and have come to 
London for a rest, and to get a few odd ar- 
ticles that I still need. My course at the C. 
31. S. has been rudely interrupted, after little 
more than two weeks. But even in two weeks 
one can learn a good deal, and I feel better 
qualified than if I had not gone to the school 
at all. 

I shall write again before I leave, and, if I 



MONTKEAL TO VIMY RIDGE xVND BEYOND 167 

find it practicable, shall send a cable the day I 
leave. Don't worry about me, mother dear. 
I shall be doing my dut5^ and nothing else 
matters. I feel sure I shall be coming home 
some day, perhaps before many months pass, 
and shall want to find you well and strong, 
and happy. 

With greatest love, 

Clifford. 

London, TV. C, July 5, 1916. 
]\Iy Dear Father, 

I have two days' leave preparatory to pro- 
ceeding overseas. I am going to the 8th Bat- 
talion, particulars about which I have given in 
the letter which I sent mother this morning. 
There are just a few things I have to get be- 
fore I leave. Getting them, and enjoying a 
little rest and recreation, will occupy my two 
days in London, and then I shall return to my 
battalion ready to leave at a moment's notice. 
I am in excellent health (weight 165) and 
eager to get away after my months of waiting. 
I am lucky to be going with three officers whom 
I know, to a battalion where I am already 
known to many of the officers and men. The 
officers of the 8th are an unusually kind and 
cordial set. Those who came over with the 



108 3I0XTKKAL TO VIMY KIDGE AND BF.YOXD 

First Contingent (I have been associated with 
many such since I got my commission) are as 
considerate of hite arrivals, even those who 
came over months after I did, as of those who 
belonged to the original 8th. In the Pats I 
found some of the few surviving officers of the 
"original" a little inclined to be snobbish in 
their attitude towards those who came overseas 
later. This is one reason why I am glad to be 
going to the 8th. 

The C. O. of the original 8th was an officer 
of the British Regular Army, who, I under- 
stand, happened to be in Canada when war 
broke out. and was put in command of the 
8th Battalion. His name is Colonel Lipsett. 
He is now a Brigadier General in command of 
the Third (Canadian) Division. lie is, I 
think, the best known, best liked, and one of 
the most efficient officers of the C. E. F. The 
officers and men of the 8th believe he is in a 
class by himself. He was a very strict dis- 
ciplinarian, which is by no means incompatible 
with popularity. He mingled with the men on 
all possible occasions. ]My batman never tires 
of telling me how the Colonel helped him to 
fill sandbags on one occasion. He was, in 
short, a typical British officer of the finest 
type. Although he is no longer with the 8th 



ISIOXTKKAI. TO Yi:\rY KIDGK AND BEYOND 169 

his influence is still felt in the hattalion, and 
his name is becoming a tradition of all that a 
C. O. ought to be. Things are done so far 
as possible according to the most approved 
standard of the Regular Army. 

I receive the JMontreal and other papers, 
which you send, at rather uncertain intervals. 
I am always glad to get them. Letters come 
more regularly. I shall be even more glad to 
hear from you after going overseas than 
hitherto. 

I met a INIcMaster man named Craig re- 
cently. He said he was a class-mate of Ned's. 
He is a Lieutenant in the 63rd. I shoidd like 
to be going to Knowlton with j^ou this sum- 
mer. Perhaps I shall be able to do so next 
summer. I hope things are going well at the 
church. Have you any hopes of moving to 
the new site in the near future? 

Hoping you are well, and will have a pleas- 
ant summer, I remain. 

Your afi:'ectionate and grateful son, 

Clifford A. Wells. 

Shorncliffc, Jiihj 17, 1916. 
Dearest INIgther, 

When I was in London the week before last, 
I wrote to you telling you I expected to leave 



170 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

for France that week-end with three other otH- 
cers from the 11th. Ximierous otlicers from 
other reser^'e battalions had been warned at 
the same time, but for some reason at which we 
can only guess our departure has been delayed, 
and we are still here. Last week I receiYcd 
another notification to hold myself in readi- 
ness, but nothing has come of it yet. Perhaps 
this is due to the fact that most of the Cana- 
dian Forces in France are in reserYe under- 
going reorganisation at present, or perhaps 
because the transports are being used for other 
purposes. Various rumours are afloat regard- 
ing the cause of the delay. The only clear fact 
is that we are still here, nominally still confined 
to barracks awaiting instructions to proceed at 
any moment. Today, supposing my letter 
from London is about due in Westmount, I 
cabled to you "Still in England." When I do 
leaYe, I shall cable to you giYing my address 
in France. Xeedless to say, the present situa- 
tion is rather exasperating, to put it mildly. 

Father enquired the meaning of the term 
*'Field Ofiicer." A field officer means a ]Ma- 
jor or a Lieutenant- Colonel. I do not know 
the origin of the term. A Platoon Conmian- 
der is normally a Subaltern (a Second Lieu- 
tenant or a Lieutenant), a Company Com- 



INIONTKKAL TO VIiMY IMIKM-: AND liKVONl) 171 



mander is usually a Gaptaiu, aud a Battalion 
Commander usually is a Field OiRcer. Per- 
haps tliat aeeonnts for the groupino- of the 
five lowest eommissioned ranks into the three 
groups Subalterns, Captains, and Field Offi- 



cers. 



The big push is really on at last. Every 
night when 1 have gone to bed, and the eamp 
is quiet, I can hear the guns at the front 75 
miles or more away. I suppose it is only the 
big guns that are audible, but they pound away 
steadily. I can hear 80 or 100 shots a minute. 
This will give you some idea of the expendi- 
ture of amnmnition. I said that I '1iear" 
them, but I sometimes doubt whether the per- 
ception is through the ears at all. It seems as 
though one feels a pulsation in the atmosphere 
rather than hears a sound. 

I must close now; good night, mother dear, 

Clifford. 

P. S. My cable announcing my departure 
for France will give simply my new address. 
The censors are strict in regard to publishing 
news of movements of troops. 



172 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

llih Reserve Battalion, 
St, Martiris Plain, 

Shorncliffe, Kent, 

July 23, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

Your letters of July 1st and 9th reached me 
yesterday, also father's of July 4th. I am glad 
you hiid a good rest at Cacouna and hope you 
will enjo}^ Knowlton equally well. 

I and the others who were warned with me 
are still here. Rumour says we are going on 
Wednesday, other rumours say next Sunday. 
We have been warned, and are going some 
time — that is the only sure thing. I should 
have gone two weeks ago if my name began 
with A instead of W. When it was found that 
only half the officers warned were wanted im- 
mediately, the first half of the list (which was 
in alphabetical order) were taken. I belong 
to the second half, of course. Some day I 
shall write an essay showing the influence on a 
man's life of the initial letter of his name. I 
have lost weeks of my life waiting for various 
things which were attended to in alphabetical 
order. Yesterday afternoon I went for a long 
ride on horseback in the country. I had a 
splendid little horse that needed no encourage- 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 173 



merit to gallop whenever we came to a suitable 
stretch of road. Kent is called the Garden of 
England, and well deserves the name. The 
views from and of the chalk cliiFs are beauti- 
ful. If I ever am a millionaire, I am going to 
have a good saddle horse. One thing I have 
gained from my military career that will al- 
ways be a pleasure is ability to ride. 

You asked me about some way of reducing 
weight. I am looking for the same thing. 
The last time I was weighed, the scale recorded 
168 pounds. I am going to ride as much as 
possible to try to shake oif some of the fat. 
My additional weight is not all fat, but some 
of it is. I find that when one is riding a lively 
horse, the horse does not do all the work, but 
that the rider too gets a good deal of exercise. 

I occasionally go to the Baptist Church in 
Folkestone. It is a very attractive church. 
Last Sunday evening there was a congregation 
of about 700, including 100 or more soldiers. 
Every seat was occupied. Yesterday morning 
there were about 400. I enclose a leaflet used 
at the service yesterday. 

Since I have been "warned" I have not been 
attending the school, but have been employed 
on various odd jobs about the battalion, such as 
taking out parties for bombing practice. I 



17^ ^lONTKEAL TO VOIY lUDGE AND BFAOXD 

enjoy this, as I can throw bombs farther and 
more accnrately than any of the men. 

Occasionally in the evening' I o-o ont to 
Hythe for a paddle on the canal. They have 
real Canadian canoes there, and the canal, 
bnilt for defensive purposes when an invasion 
by Xapoleon was expected a century ago, is a 
delightful course to paddle up. It stretches 
for many miles parallel to the coast. 

There are very few Canadian casualties 
these days, as the Canadians are in reserve 
since their heavy losses during the last German 
onslaught on the Ypres salient. This may be 
the reason that all the ofticers warned two 
weeks ago were not wanted at once. 

Canada has three Divisions at the front, 
making one Army Corps. Besides this, there 
is the Canadian Training Division around 
Shornelitfe, consisting,' of reserve battalions, 
a!id training depots for Cavalry, Engineers, 
A. S. C, A. ]M. C, etc. There is also the 
Foiu'th Division at Eramshott. It is rumoured 
that this Fourth Division is to go to France, 
and that Canada is to maintain 4 Divisions out 
there. All the otHcers I know iK'lieve Canada 
will have great difficulty in maintaining Four 
Divisions in the Held. Three Divisions seem 
to be about all we can manao-e. 



MONTKKAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 175 

I hope you are keeping well, and are having 
a delightful time at Knowlton. 

With greatest love, 

Clifford. 

nth Reserve Battalion^ 
St, Martins Plain, 
Shorncliffe, Kent, 

July 30, 1916. 
Dearest IMother, 

Here I am still, with neither any intimation 
as to when I shall be going to France, nor 
notification that the warning to "hold myself 
in readiness to proceed overseas at any mo- 
ment" has been cancelled. 

It has been rather an iminteresting week, 
with the exception of Thursday. Wednes- 
day's orders detailed me as one of the officers 
to take part in manoeuvres lasting for 24 hours 
from 8 o'clock Thursday morning. I had 
charge of a platoon which represented a com- 
pany in the scheme of operations. The whole 
force engaged on each side represented a Di- 
vision, and included Signallers, Engineers, 
INIachine Giui Company, etc. We had to 
march between twenty and twenty-five miles, 
spent the night in an open field in a heavy fog. 



170 .AIONTKKAL TO VniY EIDC^K AND IJFAOND 

and the battalion of which my company formed 
part never even saw the enemy. xVltogether it 
was very nnich hke active service. The next 
morning we marched seven miles before break- 
fast. It was an interesting break in the week's 
work. 

Yesterday morning some of the officers in 
camp saw a German sea-plane, wliich had been 
making a little raid, pursued by three British 
planes. The raider was brought down near 
Dover. Unfortunately 1 did not see the chase. 
Last night I was wakened by the sound of 
bombs exploding and anti-aircraft guns being 
fired some miles away, possibly at Dover. It 
is said that the Germans do not attack Folke- 
stone and its immediate neighboin-s along the 
coast in gratitude for the rescue of tlie crew of 
a large German ship which was wrecked here 
at the beginning of the war. The story does 
not sound probable, but for some reason Folke- 
stone lias been overlooked by German aircraft 
Avhile Dover only a short distance away has 
been repeatedly visited by them. 

The short Canadian casualty lists show that 
the Canadians are still in reserve. When they 
return to the front line probably the officers 
who have been warned will be sent for. It is 



MONTREAL TO YIMY lUDGK AND 15FA0ND 177 

likely we shall spend some time at the base in 
Havre before going into the firing line. 
With much love, 

Your son, 

Clifford. 



AUGUST. 10\6 

''Somewhere in rr:inoe" — Pleased to Be "On the Wny" 
— SMimmiiig at Havre — No Kinship to "Henry" — 
Sunday Band Coneert — German Prisoners — A Story 
of a German Major — The Humours of Censoring 
Letters — Wearing a Gas Helmet, 

Somnchcrc in France, Aug. 4^ 1916. 
De^vrest ^Iother, 

I am at a l\cst Camp far away from the iir- 
iuiX lino, and cannot toll when 1 shall bo loaving 
horo. I did not oablo to you >vhon 1 loft Eng- 
land, booause 1 was so busy at tho last that I 
roally could not find time to go to a telegraph 
otlico. and also because a cable would have 
given tho impression that I was going straight 
to the trendies, whereas I know I should be 
detained lioro for some time. 

I loft Shornclitfe AVednesday morning, Au- 
gust -nd, with other oflicers. and reached here 
Thursday morning after a pleasant trip. It 
may be that I am unduly cautious in suppross- 
iiig t]:e name of my present location, but. as 
1 am not yet thoroughly conversant with the 
]H\niliarities of tlie censorship. T liave decided 

17S 



IMONTK'I'.AL TO VIINIV HllXJi': AND lil':^■()Nl) 171) 

lo he on the safe side. Wm had l)cttcr ad- 
(hcss my Idlers in future to the 
8th HatLdion, 

1st Canadian Division, 

H. 1^:. 1\ 
I am having- ])lenty of ])raetice in speaking 
r'reneli, and find it nineli easier to nnderstand 
the ])eoi)le lieir than the Canadian I'reneh in 
IM out real. 

Beyond the i'aet tliat T liave left 1^'ngland, 
there is very httle that 1 can report I am 
pleased to he "on my way" at last. 

AVith nuieh love, 

Clifford. 

Canadian Base, 

Lc Havre, France, 
Aug. 8th, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

I am at present at the above address, which 
I iniderstand it is permissible to mention in 
letters. 1 have moved here since I last wrote. 
Here the finishing touches will be given to my 
training before I proceed *'up the line." 

It has been, and is, extremely warm and 
dusty, and the swim in the sea, which I manage 
to get in nearly every day, is very refreshing. 
I can really float in the salt water, so you no 



180 AIONTRKAL TO VIMY KIDGK AND lUAOND 

longer have the family monopoly of that ac- 
complishment. I am begmning to like salt wa- 
ter for swimming, although I always used to 
prefer the fresh. What kiPAl of a time did you 
have in Knowlton this year? I was glad to re- 
ceive the picture post card of the place. It 
seems more than a year since 1 was there. 

I am enjoying life here. 1 have many niee 
friends among the ottlcers, and am continually 
running across men whom I have met in one 
capjacity or another since I enlisted. AVhen I 
first joined up, 1 knew scarcely any one in the 
whole Expeditionary Force. Xow 1 have 
many acquaintances and friends from all parts 
of Canada. One of my best friends is a boy 
named Ford, a Sergeant in the First I^niver- 
sity Company, who recently received his com- 
mission in the V. P. C. F. I. He was at :\le- 
Gill when war broke out, and is an exception- 
ally attractive chap. He is commonly called 
"Henry" after his famous peace-making name- 
sake, who, as he is very careful to state on every 
possible occasion, is no relative of his. 

There are a great many things I should like 
to write about — things that I know would be 
of great interest to you, but I have to confine 
my letters to personal matters. 1 shall try to 



INIONTKKAL TO VliMV IMDCiK AND lU'AONl) 181 

write frequently so as to kecj) in touch with 
you. I was never in better health. 

IIo|)int>' things are going well at liome, and 
with love to ''everybody" (as JNliss Murphy 
would say) 1 am. 

Your loving son, 

Cliffobd. 

Le Havre, Aug, 15, 1916, 
Deakest JMother, 

As you see, I am not yet with my battalion, 
but am enjoying life in this most interesting 
and historic region. It is really a great piece 
of good fortune and a great privilege to have 
been of an age and in a position to come over- 
seas to take part in this war. I only wish I 
could write in detail of all the interesting things 
I see day by day. 

I have not received any mail since leaving 
England. IVlail arriving at Shorncliffe for me 
is being sent on to the 8th, and has not yet 
been re-forwai'ded here, altliough I am expect- 
ing some any day. It is nearly two weeks since 
I left England. 

On Sunday a grand band concert was given 
at the camp here, and the country people for 
miles around came in to hear the music. They 
seemed especially interested in the pipers. It 



18- ,AU)N IKKAl. rO VI MV lillUn: AM) Ur.YOM) 

was vorv iiitorosting to sec tho couiitrv folk in 
their best Siiiulay clothes, mingled with hnn- 
(ireds of Canadian, and a tew French, soKhers. 

I have seen lots of C^ernian prisoners. They 
are well treated and always aj)|)ear to be on 
g'ood terms with their gnards. 1 heard o( a 
German Major who. when told he was to be 
sent to England with other prisoners, langhcd 
and said he knew that Avas im]>ossible, as Kng- 
land was completely hlockaded by the C^erman 
iltvt (presnmably he meant the Cicrman sub- 
marine ileet'). This is a true story. 

It seems a long while since I heard from ycui, 
bnt I am expecting \o receive mail very soon. 
AVith nuich Une, 

Ci.iKi t>Rn. 

Stli Battalion. CafhuJiafLs\ 
n. K, F., France, 

Auijiu^t n, 1916. 

Dr.ArvF.ST 'MOTHF.K, 

The tirst letter 1 have received since leaving 
Kngland arrived yesterday — yonrs o'( July 
lt>th. It had gone to Shornclitre, then "up the 
line" to the 8th, and then back to the base 
where T still am. 

In addition to the excellent practical train- 
intr which 1 am irettina' here, one c>f the oHicial 



iM()N'i'in:AL ro viiniv inixjr, and iii^vond 18.3 

(liilics is cciisoiiii^" U'llrrs. 'I'his takes an hour 
or more awU day. Sonic of the nRMTs letters 
are very amusing-, their eonmieiits on the war, 
their food, the 1^'reneh |)eo|)le, ele. \'ester(hiy 
a ehap asserted positively that the war would 
he over l)y Noveniher. In a lettei- this niornin^' 
another man said he was eountini^* on hein*^' 
home for Chris! inas, 1925. One very fumiy 
lettei was wi'ilten hy a ni.'ui who was most in- 
dit^nant at havin*^- heen transferred to a kilted 
hntlnlion. lie did not ohjeet to kilts j)('r sr, 
hut he ohjcu'led strenuously to "sei'uhhin*^' his 
knees every day.'' Not one letter that 1 have 
read has heen anythin<>* hut eonddent as to the 
onteome of the war, and all are cheerful. The 
men have a sense of humour which goes far 
toward lighlenini»' their hurdens. 

I had the c\j)criencc of wearing a gas hel- 
met tlie other day and walking through gns 
ten times as ])owerrul as one is likely to meet 
in the trenches. 1 could hreathe without dilli- 
cnlty, hut found the helmet hot and uncond'ort- 
able, which, of course, is unavoidable. 

We are having lovely weather, at present, 
and I am enjoying life here. lU^'ng in the 
fresh air day and night (in a tenl) 1 caimot 
help being well. I am hoping to get some 
more letters soon, hut mails arc moi*e uncci-- 



184 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

tain here than in England. There are many 
interesting things which I cannot write about. 

Take care of yourself, mother dear. With 
love to father and the others at home, I remain. 
Your loving son, 

Clifford. 



SEPTEMBER, 1916 

With an Entrenching Battalion — A Gas Attack — Ger- 
mans Outclassed — Seven Miles Through Mud, Real 
Mud— "Strafing"— The Rattling of the "Typewrit- 
ers" — The Greater Daring of British Airmen — "Rus- 
sian Scotchmen" — The Stolid Peasants of Flanders — 
Aeroplanes Hiding in the Clouds — Gas Attacks — 
Keen Enjoyment of the Picturesque Side of Modern 
Warfare — Too Much Noise for Sleep — Glorious Air 
Fights — Back in France — A Hog Interfering with 
Discipline and Rations — "Part of the Way on an 
Aeroplane" — Camping in an Ideal Spot — "Hot, Dusty 
and Triumphant" — Bombardment Seen at Night from 
the Crest of a Hill. 

First Canadian Entrenching Bn., 
B. E, F,, September 2, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

As you see by the heading, my address has 
changed again. I was warned to join the above 
named unit a few minutes after I mailed my 
letter to father last Sunday. With a few other 
officers I left the base Monday evening. Then 
followed a railway journey lasting two days 
and two nights. Troop trains in general move 
slowly, and this one in particular seemed slower 
than the average. There were numerous stops 

185 



186 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

at places which I would like to mention, but 
cannot. Finally on Wednesday evening we 
reached a little town where we "disembarked" 
from the train. We had supper in a little inn, 
the walls of which, and even the ceiling of the 
room in which we ate, were scarred with shrap- 
nel. The town is still full of civilian inhabi- 
tants, who have to take to their cellars when 
Fritz chooses to send a few shells their way. 
After supper we had a walk of seven miles 
through mud — real mud — to a camp where the 
Battalion is located at present. We are sev- 
eral miles behind the front line, far enough to 
be out of danger, but near enough to see a good 
deal of what is going on. Heavy batteries are 
near us and when they give Fritz his daily 
strafing they make our little huts tremble. Oc- 
casionally Fritz makes a feeble response and 
we can see his shells bursting as he tries to lo- 
cate the cleverly concealed guns. Then Brit- 
ish and Belgian batteries all around come to 
life, and make things interesting until the 
Huns give up the argument, and comparative 
silence reigns again. 

Apart from the "strafing" — as artillery fire 
is called — one of the most interesting features 
to be observed from here is the flares at night. 
For miles along the front line we can see the 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 187 

flares shooting up into the air, lighting the 
country in a wonderful manner. Most of these 
flares are German, showing that Fritz is more 
nervous than Tommy. 

At night one can hear the machine guns 
("typewriters" we call them) rattling away, 
can see the flash of the British guns, hear the 
sound of their shells rushing along like an ex- 
press train travelling through the sky at in- 
credible speed, and a dull boom as they burst 
in the distance. And yet we are as safe here 
as we were in England. In the day time we 
see observation balloons and aeroplanes galore. 
The British planes are far more daring than 
the German, and it is fascinating to watch them 
fly over the German lines followed by little 
puff's of soft fleecy white or black smoke as 
the shrapnel shells burst around them. Only 
once since I arrived here has a German plane 
ventured this way, and our anti-aircraft guns 
soon drove it oiF. 

You may wonder what an entrenching bat- 
talion is. Its purpose is to supply reinforce- 
ments as they are needed by units in the firing 
line, and to provide working parties to work 
on second line defences by night. I was out 
last night with a party. We left at dusk and 
returned at 2 A. M. We were working some 



188 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

distance behind the hne and Fritz never knew 
we were there. 

I am perfectly happy here. My only fear 
is that you may worry about me. Please don't 
do this. I shall be here for some time, and am 
not in any danger. You had better address 
your next letter to this battalion. My next 
move will be to join my unit, but that will not 
be for some time. 

The most disagreeable things here are the 
rats, which are innumerable, and the flies which 
are a thousand times more numerous than the 
rats. 

My platoon is composed of kilties. Some of 
them are Russians. They will persist in com- 
ing on parade without their khaki aprons, so 
that I have to call the Russian Sergeant, and 
administer a scolding with him as interpreter. 
What peculiar workings of military official- 
dom caused these Russians from Western Can- 
ada to be put into a Highland battalion, it is 
hard to say. They are known as the "Russian 
Scotchmen." They are hard workers, and 
splendid soldiers. 

We are "somewhere in Flanders." The 
stolid peasants till their fields right up to the 
line, and pay no attention to shells screeching 
overhead, or aeroplanes circling among the 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 189 

clouds. It is interesting to see the planes hid- 
ing among the clouds when the shells follow 
them too closely. 

Occasionally Fritz makes a gas attack. Then 
gas alarms (empty shells suspended in the air 
and pounded with a stick) are sounded all 
around us, and every one gets his helmet ready. 
We have to carry gas helmets all the time here, 
even when we go to dinner. So far there have 
been no casualties, as the helmets aiFord per- 
fect protection, and the gas is diluted when it 
reaches us. 

Thus you see that the picturesque and de- 
lightful side of modern warfare is much in 
evidence here. I am enjoying it immensely. 
Even the discomforts are a pleasure, as they 
remind me that I have escaped from the Re- 
serve Battalion where I was buried for so long 
a time. 

By the time this letter reaches you I shall 
have been in the army for over a year. My one 
regret is that I did not enlist sooner. 

Goodnight, Molly dear. Please take care of 
yourself and of father, so you can meet me 
when I come home, looking well and strong. 
Now that Roumania has joined us, it may not 
be so very long before I get home again. 

With much love, Clifford. 



190 MONTREAL TO YIMY KIDGE AND BEYOND 

P. S. I have received only one letter from 
you since I left England. Some day soon I 
shall get a big bunch of mail. 

8th Battalion Canadians^ 
B. E, F., Sept. 2, 1916, 
My DEAR George, 

I had occasion to think gratefully of you 
last night — hence this letter, as I thought you 
might be interested in the occurrence. I was 
sleeping peacefully in my little bunk in a hut 
a couple of miles behind the line about mid- 
night last night, when I was wakened by a tre- 
mendous noise, banging on empty shells and 
blowing of horns, etc. For a few seconds I 
v/as too sleepy to realise what was happening 
i.'id then some one hollered "gas attack!" Five 
seconds later I was dressing at lightning speed. 
Then I pulled on my gas helmet and started 
out to make sure that my platoon was all ready. 
It was pitch dark, and the ground is full of 
shell holes, ditches, disused trenches. Through 
the goggles of my helmet it was hard to pick 
out the ground before me. Suddenly I re- 
membered the flashlight which I bought with 
the pound you sent me. I had had little occa- 
sion to use it before then, but 1 was tremen- 
dously thankful to remember it then. I hastily 



MONTREAL TO VI MY IIIDGE AND BEYOND 191 

turned back, fastened it on my belt, and was 
able to get around to all my men in quick time. 
As soon as the gas alarms sounded, our artil- 
lery opened fire, and such a noise ensued as I 
never heard before. Crash! Crash! Crash! 
on all sides of me; gun flashes lighting up the 
sky all around, shells screeching overhead, and 
all the while the horns and shells giving the 
alarm. After an hour we were able to turn in 
again, only to be awakened at 2.30 to go 
through the same performance again. Thanks 
to the timely warning and efficient helmets we 
had no casualties either time. Thank good- 
ness, the wind is blowing toward the German 
lines to-night so we can count on a whole 
night's sleep. 

I am at present with an entrenching bat- 
talion, constructing second line trenches. I 
take a working party out every other night. 
By going cautiously and avoiding using lights 
of any kind, we can escape observation by 
Fritz, although his shells do come pretty close 
sometimes. 

Our artillery outclasses the German, as our 
airmen outclass Fritz's airmen. Very rarely 
does a German plane come this way, while 
ours are over the German lines every day. An 



192 ZNIONTKEAL TO A13IY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

especially daring German plane flew overhead 
the other day and dropped a bomb about tifty 
yards from me. It failed to explode, and our 
guns drove the plane oif in quick time. 

Being Orderly OtHeer of the day, I did not 
have to go out with the working party to-night. 
It is a horrible night, rain, mud, pitch dark, 
except for flares and gun flashes. I am glad 
to be able to stay in. 

The country here is so wet as to be soggy, 
but the water is not fit to drink, scarcely fit to 
wash in. The washing water is diluted mud 
from a shell hole near by, Avhile drinking water 
is brought in carts from miles away. 

In spite of these discomforts, I am enjoying 
myself immensely. I was never happier in my 
life. Very soon I shall be with my battalion 
in the front line trenches. 

Some of the unpleasant and dangerous 
things I do not mention in my letters home; 
so do not call mother's attention to them. I 
thought you would be interested, however. 

Letters are a godsend here; so write soon. 

With love to ^Mildred and Barbara, and the 
baby, 

Yom* brother, 

Clifford. 



MONTREAL TO A'lMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 193 

Som etch ere in Flanders, 
Sept. 4. 1016, 
My dear Ned, 

It is about IIP. M. and I have been trying 
to sleep, but it is no use. A battery of 9.2 
howitzers about half a mile away have started 
an argument with Fritz, and innumerable 
other gims are chiming in, and between their 
remarks and Fritz's rather feeble reply, there 
is such a racket going on that sleep is impos- 
sible. So I have lighted a candle and will 
write a letter to you until things quiet down 
or until I am sleepy enough not to mind the 
racket. I have just taken a look out of the 
door of the hut. Flares are shooting up along 
the line, field guns pounding away on all sides, 
machine guns rattling, and shells roaring 
through the air. Fritz must have been misbe- 
having in some way to deserve such a straf- 
ing. 

I am with an entrenching battalion a couple 
of miles behind the line. I have to take out a 
working party about every other night. To- 
day has been so stormy (torrents of rain) that 
to-night's party was cancelled. The men have 
been singing away in their huts this evening, 
in spite of being wet, cold, and annoyed by 



194 MOXTRE.VL TO VIMY KIDGE AND BEYOND 

rats, as though they had not a >vorrv in the 
M'orld. 

Speaking of rats reminds me that a eouple 
of days ago some men lifted up one o( their 
little huts, filled up all the rat holes underneath 
it exeept two, and poured water down one of 
the two. As the rats streamed out of the other 
hole, a little rat dog attended to them, killing 
■43 in a few minutes — 43 for one hut is the 
eamp reeord, and I feel quite proud oi' it, as 
it was my platoon that established it. I am 
afraid it will be broken soon, however. 

I expeet soon to join my battalion in the 
front line. Here we are close enough to see 
what is going on, but in no danger. Gas at- 
taeks (we had two Sunday night) annoy us, 
but we always have timely warning and our 
helmets give perfect protection. I never en- 
joyed life before so much as I am enjoying it 
here. There is so much to see and hear. I am 
a long way from the "fed-up" stage. I really 
enjoy army life, and in some ways shall be 
sorry to leave it when the war is over. 

The others in the hut are giving up the at- 
tempt to sleep and are complaining of the in- 
considerateness of the artillery in disturb- 
ing us. 

We see some o-lorious air tio-hts here. The 



INIONrKKAl. TO VllMV lUDCJl-: AND HKVONl) 11).") 

other (lay there were 15 phiiies in the air at 
onee, saiHng ahout in the midst of a cloud of 
shrapnel bursts. Yesterday one of our planes 
destroyed a German observation balloon a few 
miles from here. I wish 1 could describe the 
})andemoiiium tliat is g'oing on ai'ound me as I 
write, but one has to hear it to know what it 
is like. A\'hen one of the nearby big guns goes 
oi\\ tliere is a flash that lights up the hut, a 
tremendous crash that makes tlie ground trem- 
ble, then a roar like an elevated train soaring 
up into the sky; then it grows fainter until it 
ends in a dull thud in the distance. 

Well I must try again to get to sleep. I 
suppose I shall soon get used to the noise. 

With love to IMarjorie and yourself, and 
hoping to hear from you soon, I remain, 

As ever, Cliff. 

So7?ictchere in France, 
Sept 11, 1916. 

]My dearest INIOTHEK, 

I have had a long journey since I wrote 
you last from Flanders. First the battalion 
marched live or six miles; then we were met 
by a long line of motor busses which took us 
35 miles to a certain place where we spent 
two days. I was billetted with my platoon in 



196 :MOXTin.AL to vniv kidgk am) iuaond 

a farm house. 1 had a quaint httlc room in 
the house >vhieh was reaehed by a sort o^ gang- 
way (half way l>etween a bidder and a stair- 
way) whieh led us out of the little kitehen. ]My 
men were quartered equally cleanly ..nd com- 
fortably in the barn. The farmer and his fam- 
ily were not pleased to see us at first, but soon 
became more friendly and would heat large 
caldrons of water so that the men could make 
tea without building tires near his precious 
barn. They would also sit up hours after 
their usual bed time talking to the men. espe- 
cially the French Canadians. The farmer 
spoke both French and Flemish. I was in- 
specting the platoon one morning when there 
arose quite a hubbub at the other end of the 
line. I was rather surprised at this breach of 
discipline, but when I learned the cause I was 
quite willing to excuse it. About 50 yards 
away the day's rations were spread out on the 
ground, and a large hog was helping himself 
to them. I put a guard over the rations, and 
there was no further excitement. The next 
day we left at midnight and marclied until (> 
in the morning. About daybreak another bat- 
talion which was being transported in busses 
overtook us as we were resting by the roadside. 
Tlie busses stopped for some reason right be- 



.AlOXTKFAL TO VniV UWOV. AM) lU'.'S OM) 197 

side US, aiul thcro was a general cxchanoc of 
remarks between the men on the busses and the 
men on the groinul. "Have you ehaps marehed 

all the way from ?" inquired a young 

fellow on the top of an ex-London bus. 
*'Naw," answered one of the men who had 
reached the "fed-up" stage, "we got a ride 
part of the way on an aeroplane." It would 
have been a good incident for Bairnsfather to 
depict in one of his cartoons. I suppose you 
know Bairnsfather's cartoons? They are won- 
derfully true to life, and very popular out here. 
At G o'clock we were picked up by busses, 
and at o'clock we entrained. We were on 
the train until 8 P. M., and then marched again 
until 12, when we bivouacked in a tield, where 
we are still stopping, two days later. We have 
received brand new tents, and altogether have 
an ideal camping ground. It is a tield witli a 
gentle slope covered with green grass, and sur- 
rounded by orchards. The men are getting ex- 
ceptionally well fed, and are having a good rest 
after the long journey; so they are quite happy. 
We are a little farther from the line than in 
our last location, but are near enough to see 
the Hares at night, and the balloons and aero- 
planes by day. The roar of the guns never 
ceases. 



198 MOXTEEAI. TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

I have been pretty busy since I got here, put- 
ting up tents, etc., etc. I have just finished 
censoring a lot of mail, and have snatched time 
to write to you. 

You had better send my letters to the First 
Canadian Entrenching Battalion until further 
notice. I do not know how long I shall be with 
them. 

I am sleeping in a tent with two other offi- 
cers who are going to the 8th. We are very 
comfortable here. I have a Woolsey sleeping 
bag, in which I sleep very comfortably, and in 
which I pack my kit when we move. The 
weather is delightful, and the country much 
more attractive in every way than Flanders. 
We have plenty of good drinking water, which 
means a great deal. 

I hope every one at home is as well and 
happy as I am. I always think of home a 
great deal on Sundays. Yesterday while we 
were busy putting up tents, I was wondering 
what you were all doing at home. 

Your letter of Aug. 12 arrived on Saturday. 
This is the second I have received since I came 
to France. The others will arrive some day. 

I must close now. 

With much love, 

Clifi^ord, 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 199 

P. S. A certain Canadian Brigade has just 
marched by the camp on their way back to bil- 
lets after being in the front line. They were 
hot, dusty, and triumphant. One of the bat- 
talions made a splendid charge, capturing a 
German trench in fine style. They received a 
wire of congratulation from Sir Douglas Haig. 
Fritz will soon begin to go to pieces. We see 
lots of German prisoners here. 

September 13, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

This little brooch has the same design as the 
8th Battalion cap badge. I thought you might 
be glad to have it. The little devil is black 
instead of gold on the cap badge. 

Everything is going well. I am still with 
the Entrenching Battalion. 

With love and in haste (to catch the post) I 
am Your son, 

Clifford. 

First Canadian Entrenching Bn.j 
B. E. F,, France, 

September 22, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

As you see, my address has not changed 
since I last wrote. I have, however, been 



-00 3I0NTKKAI. rO ViMY KllX^K AM) lUAONU 

away from the Battalion for a week, in eoni- 
pany with other ottieers on dnty that took ns as 
far back as the Canadian Ease Depot. Now 
I am back again and having a deligiitfnl time. 
The Kntrenehing Battalions are reckoned as 
being "in the line" bnt in reality this partien- 
lar Battalion is many miles from it. We are 
too far back to go ont on working parties at 
night as we did in Belginm. Besides, we have 
very few men here at present, so we i^the otli- 
eers"* are havirig a delightfnl time. The men 
are enjoying themselves too. We are en- 
camped in a very pretty spot snrronnded ^\v 
orchards. We have brand nev%' tents that had 
never been used initil they were issned to us. 
At tirst they were white, but, oi* course, we 
have had them covered with daubs of green 
and brown paint to escape observation from 
hostile aircraft. In the morning we parade 
from 0.80 to V2, V. T. ^^hysical training^ 
bayonet tighting and squad drill being the chief 
items. In the afternocni we go for a sliort 
route-march, getting back about 4 o'clock. 
^Vfter that we play football, quoits, baseball, 
etc., until it is dark. Yesterday the oihcers 
had a baseball game, the married men against 
the single ones. The Colonel pitched for the 
former: t\n* the latter 1 made a - base hit in 



JMONTIU AL TO VmV HIDCU: AND HI A OM) 201 

one inniiii^', but the C. O. put nio out at tirst 
base twice. 1 put him out at second base once, 
but the umpire decided otherwise. The nearer 
a battalion is to the front Hue, the more cordial 
is the spirit between all ranks. Every one tries 
to make things as pleasant as possible for 
every one else. 

Although we are doing no fighting ourselves, 
there are many indications that there is a war 
on. The guns are never silent, except for a 
short time every morning, when both sides seem 
to take a rest. Observation balloons are al- 
ways in sight, also aeroplanes. Twenty-two 
balloons, mostly British, were in sight at one 
time the other day. Every day 1 see British 
aeroplanes sailing over the German lines, with 
little puffs of smoke following them around, 
making them keep up high but seldom hitting 
them. 

Yesterday afternoon we went for a short 
march. AVe had scarcely started when we saw 
a man coming down from an observation bal- 
loon by means of a parachute. lie landed quite 
safely. It was the first parachute descent I 
ever saw. I do not know why he came down 
that way. The next interesting thing we saw 
was a *'motor dovecote," i. e,, a large cage filled 
with carrier-pigeons mounted on a motor lorry. 



202 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

A little later we had a good view of a German 
plane being driven off by our anti-aircraft 
guns. 

I wish you would send me some more large 
safety pins, — the largest size. They are splen- 
did things to pin blankets together with. Also 
chocolate, cake, toothpaste, toothbrush, and 
other things of that sort, would be welcome. 
Send them to the 1st Canadian Entrenching 
Battalion. 

I received father's letter of August 14th two 
days ago. Mail is very irregular. By the way, 
when you write to me after I join the 8th Bn., 
do not mention the Brigade or Division. The 
address will be simply 8th Battalion, Cana- 
dians, B. E. F., France. We are not allowed 
to mention Brigades or Divisions. 

There was a discussion among the officers 
the other day about the number of Canadians 
who are found to be unfit for active service 
after they have reached England. A consider- 
able proportion have to be sent back to Can- 
ada, or be kept in England on permanent duty 
there. It is a great mistake for any one to 
enlist if his health is not sufficiently good for 
him to endure the hardships of active service. 
It is a waste of his own time and of the Gov- 
ernment's money. The proportion of Cana- 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 203 

dians who are marked unfit for active service 

is disgracefully large. So if C does not 

feel that he is strong enough to go through 
all the hardships of a campaign he is acting 
in a more patriotic way in remaining in Can- 
ada than he would be in coming over to Eng- 
land. 

I must close now. After three days' rain, the 
sun is shining again. Our battalion has a foot- 
ball game scheduled for this afternoon. 

With greatest love, 

Your son, 

Clifford. 

P. S. I enclose some cards of places I have 
seen since coming to France. 

1st Can. Enti^enching Battalion, 
France, Sept, 28, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

We are taught in the army the importance 
of making reports to Headquarters at regular 
intervals. Even when there is nothing to re- 
port, the message "situation unchanged" should 
be sent in, this report being as important as 
any other. This letter is simply to report to 
you that the situation is unchanged, so far as 
I am concerned. I am still with the Entrench- 



204 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

iiig Battalion, Avaiting for the summons to join 
the 8th. 

The news from the front continues to be 
good. Every day bunches of German prison- 
ers march back, looking glad to be out of it 
all. Our aeroplanes ascend in SAvarms every 
morning and make for the German lines. The 
big guns are never silent. 

A couple of nights ago I was bringing a 
party of men back to camp. We had to march 
over the crest of a hill, a few miles from the 
front line. There was a heavy bombarchnent 
on at the time, and the sight was so wonder- 
ful that I halted my party for a quarter of 
an hour to watch the show. All around us gun 
flashes were lighting up the sky, the sound of 
the guns merging into one uninterrupted roar. 
Overhead a couple of searchlights were search- 
ing the clouds for hostile aircraft. In the dis- 
tance, we could see the shells bursting over the 
trenches, the shrapnel shells bursting in the air 
with a red flash, the high explosives bursting 
on the ground with a whiter light. Flares by 
the score were being shot into the air all along 
the line, some of them white, some red, some 
green. It was a sight which no words can ade- 
quately describe. 

Life here is far more interesting and en- 



MOXTKKAT. TO VniV lUDCE AND RKYONl) 205 

joyable than it was in England. In fact, I 
am finding it the pleasantest part of my mili- 
tary career. 

I have just received word from the Adjutant 
that I am to proceed to a point 12 miles away, 
starting to-morrow morning at 6.30, to bring 
back a draft of reinforcements for this bat- 
talion. I shall have a horse to ride there and 
back, and am looking forward to a pleasant 
ride. 

I must close now. There is really no news 
I can give. I am quite well, and enjoying my- 
self. By the way, you will have read, of course, 
of the ''tanks" or armoured automobiles which 
are being used in the offensive. They are won- 
derful things; can cross an 8 ft. wide trench, 
knock down trees, climb out of shell holes, etc. 
They could pass right through a house if nec- 
essary. Bullets and bombs glance harmlessly 
off their armoured sides. They carry 6 or 8 
machine guns, and a couple of heavier guns. 
This is one respect in which we have got ahead 
of them. 

With much love, 

Clifford. 



Contents ot" Kit Ivsi^- Wv>n«.iort"v.l rrv>j::n>s ot" l^ritij^h — 
In Action — Fxirther TrAminjj — Nnrrv^Nv Vsv.,pcs in 
Battle — W.itohinsr an Air Knid trv>m tho l\>p ot' .^ Rv>\ 
Cnr — ChuruinsT t\>r tho Farmer's Onughters — A Call 
tor NvncU--ln the Ivittle ot the Somnu^ — EUK>Mte 
German Ougvnits — An Invisible Villagt^ -F.tlioienov 
of Canadian Artillery — A Remarkable Kxperien^w 

1st Catunlion Kntn^nchini^ Bfu, 
U. /;. F..Och^Hr(Kl91o\ 

1 am still with tlu^ F.ntvcnchiuLi- l^attalioii. 
aiui havo nothinc- special t^^ report. ThiuL;^ aro 
ginnei; oil just as usual. Tut'ortunatoly tho 
woathor has Ihvu very wot. auil thoro is nuui 
ovorywlioro uot so ba^i as in Bol^nuin. but 
still roal nuui. 1 havo an oxoollont pair ot* hiii'h 
boots, and so am not troublo.i by moro nuui. 
TbiO worst thino" about tho nuui is that it hin- 
liors tho otVonsivo. 

1 am ploasod with my oquipnuuit. It is oom- 
ploto in ovory rospoot. and I am of ton oallod 
on to loud various thiiiLis to othor pooplo. Still. 



my kit stxMiis to bulk k\ss Invixc tliaii tlu^ iixcv- 
iiiXC \\\\c\\ it is packoil up. I think latluM- woiiKl 
aj>|)nnc^ o( ihc \\:\\ 1 pack my kit. \ (Ui may 
he luicvcsicd in what it consists ol". In thc^ first 
pkuv, 1 havc^ a Woolscy vahsc\ or sKx^pm/;' 
baii'. This is a lar^c^ liold-ail which is can-lctl 
(HI a transport wag^Mi >\ hcMi wc^ mo\ i\ and which 
contains all my bi^lonL»ini;s, except w hat 1 carry 
on my person. It holds, (I) Iwi^ blankets anil 
a rnbber sheet suv'h as is issned to the men, ('J) 
a pack containing" c\c:\\\ clothes and lunisewitV, 
['fi) extra boots, [I) the blue ba*;' yon made, 
holding handkerchiefs, collars, scarfs, etc., (5) 
a small issne-haversack with my ink-bottle, 
pencils, a few necessary books, etc. These 
things go in a pocket at one end o{* the sleep- 
ing bag, and form a pillow w hen the bag is nn- 
rolled.^ 

On the march T wear my high boots, and 
(1) the \Vebb Helt \ed sent me, with my re- 
volver and cartridge pcnich. (iM a large haver- 
sack lu^lding medical snpplies, bandages, etc., 
holdall with tiwvel, soap, etc.. a compass, a 
Field Service Pocket Hook, (3) water bottle, 
(4) gas helmet. (.">') shrapnel helmet (nnnsed 
as yet), ((>) raincoat en banderole. The honse- 
wil'e which vi>u made is an excellent one, and 



'JOS >'-0N IKKAl. iO VIMY KllX^E ANP RVYOND 

IS in i^roat demand. The m^xt tune you send 
nie a box, please put some studs and a cvuple 
of khaki neekties in it. 

Even fr\MU >vhere >ve art^ at present, we are 
cvnseious of the advanee that our troops are 
making, l^atteries whieh used to ktvp us 
a^vake at night are i\ow miles away fi\^m us. 
Anununition stores, ete., are Iviug movtHi far- 
ther up the line all the time. Koads whieh 
cvuld not be used by day on aeeount of dang^T 
of shelling are now pertWtly safe. Observa- 
tion balkxMis have advamvd. ^^'onderful prog- 
ress is being made, but, of anirse. our easual- 
ties are heavy, although lighter than those of 
the Ciernians. A C. C"). nnIio was in eamp re- 
eently said that in the last advauiv his bat- 
talion tix^k more prisoners than the total of 
his easualties. and that the Cierman easualties 
in addition to prisoners were twiee as great as 
his. 

ScMue time agi^ 1 asktnl that, in future, let- 
ters be sent to the First Kntrenehing bat- 
talion. These have not begm\ to reaeh me yet. 
l>y the time 1 get an answer to tlr.s letter I 
may be with the Sth. and so in future you had 
better send your letters to the Sth Hattalion. 
Canadians, H. K. F.. Franee. r>v that time 



INION IKl.Al. VO VI MY KllHJr. AND HKYOND 'JOJ) 

the Canadians will [^n^lKibly he in s^nu^ other 
:nul (|uii Um- [>;irl oi' [he hwc. 
With lovo to i\\\, I nuu 

\'our lovini;" son, 

C'l.lKFOKl). 

r. wS. ?s\> IrttcM's iwcivccl since I last wrote 
mail viM-y irrt\i;iilar. 

Sth luitialioii, (\i!i(uli(iihs\ 
/,'. /';. I\, Fnvur, 

My ni.vK CiiuMUiK, 

I ha\e Ihhmi in aetion with my battalion al- 
ivaily, and >vas t'cMtnnati^ enoni^h to ec^no 
thnniiih withont a serateh. 0( eonrse I had 
narri>w escapes. I took ot\* my eoat and went 
dc>wn the treueh iMie tinu\ and eame back to 
iind mv eoat riildled with shrapnel. Slu^lls 
bnrst all armmd me. throwini>' showers oi' ilirt 
over me. while ritle and maehine i>*nn bnllets 
whistled jnst merheail ec^itinnally. In tlnve 
days I luH'ame hardi^ieil to si^-hts whieh were 
indescribably horrible and io horrible sonnds 
and smells as wc^U. An aeroj>lane battU^ took 
phiee in t'nll view seven [danes partici[^atini>'. 
One was bronght thnvn u\ tlames. two lUhcrs 
were conipelleil to descend. The Ctcrnians sent 



over toar siiciis which uuHkc oiu s eyes sore and 
upset one's * tunmiy ' a:^ well. 

lietorc you rtxvive this letter 1 shall have 
K\n thnnigh a much sterner action thai\ the 
last, and it is by no means imprv^bable that I 
shall have *'g\nie west/' as it is ealkxl h\ the 
anny. 1 am auwrdingly enelo^ing a letter 
which I want you to send to mother oiJy if 1 
am kilkxi. 1 want her to W sure to gi?t it after 
my death, not otherwise, and the Ivst way 1 
can think of to ensure this is to send it to you. 
1 have a ftvling that if I survive this next scrap 
I shall ci>me thnnigh the whole war all right: 
but casualties are sure to W heavy this time. 

1 nuist close now, Cttvrg\:\ Please write 
when you tind tinu\ I am always delightcxl to 
get a letter from you. Tell me about your 
work, which is always intert^sting to me. Cuve 
my love and Ivst wishes to Mildred and l^ai*- 
bara and the baby. 

Your atVtvtionate brother, 

DvAKFsr MoniVK, 

The day after 1 last ww^te to you. namely. 
Saturdav, cVt. 7. 1 ioined the Sth battalion. 



MON rUl Al, VO VI MV KlIHJi: AND HKYOND 'J 1 1 

W'c^ >V(M*c in :u'ti(Mi ilwcc dnys Inst wtu^k. niul In 
suppoii iM* rt\stM'\ I* triMU'lu\s the* rivst i>(' ihc 
\\cck\ so I liml iu> (>pi)ortiinity to wvWc \ciicvs. 
You will he suv\n''\scd io K\'irn that nt the* prcs- 
cwi u\ou\c\\[ 1 :im sonu*\\ Ium'c* in I'miuw luany 
iniK\s I'roiu tlu* (iriui;- liiu\ I \\:is di^tniliui Inst 
Saturilnv to nttiMul n slu>rt mnrhiiu* iAiin v'oiirst* 
at a i\*unp t'nr nwny i'voiu ihc (voui Vmc. 'Vhc 
u\ci\ seonis to he that all intanlry oiru'rrs shoiiKI 
know soincthinij; nlunit lunoliiuc* i^ims. 'I'Iumc* 
iwc si*NtM-nl hi:iulrcul oITu'iM's hcvc, most of tlunii 
Kuii'lish. a Ww Australian niul C'nnnilinn. 
.AnuHii;' the* lntt(*r is n frii*iul o\' iiiiiu*, l,t. Vovd 
o( ihc r. r. C\ 1.. I. I wns miu-h plonsod to 
tind him Iumw >\"c* shnll he hcvc ahout a \vt*ck 
bot*ori* ri^ioiniiiLi" our hnttnlions. 'I'lu* I'oiirsc* 
dc*nls nininly w ith the* 1 A*\vis Cum, with which I 
liavo a slight ne'i|iiaintaiu'i* alri*ady. Im i*ry 
ovrnino' wo go to tho town noarhy wlu*ro wo 
liavo the* nu>st elelie'ions and hi\st approeM'ati*d 
me*nls that e*vor we*re* e*nte*n. It se*e*ms strnni^^'o 
te) he in n te>wn >\lu*re* niMu* e^t' the* huilelinLis 
hnve* ht\*n ele*stre\ve*el hy slu*ll (ire\ Lnst We*e*k I 
wns in a \ illagc which, se> tar as I could scc\ 
dill ni^t have a single stick or pile e>t* bricks 
eight t'e*e*t high. Kverything, literally every- 
thing, hnel been levelled te> the gre^und bv enir 



'2V2 MONi'KVAi. ro viMv ku\;k and rfyonp 

artillery tiro boun'c it was captured from tlio 
OTieiny. 

Last week I rvooived a lovely box from you. 
It was the best I have rtwiveil yet. Thank you 
for it very nuioh. The eake and eandy were 
most delieious. The foot powder also was wel- 
come. 1 did not have my boots otV for six days 
last wtvk, but did not have a siiii^-le blister on 
my feet. I take good eare of tliem. and thui 
the powder useful. 

My Company Commander in the Sth is 
Capt. l>osweU of Winnipeg", whom I knew in 
Kng'land. I i^vt on with him very well indeed. 
One gets to know the otHeers and men of a 
company much better over here than in F.ng- 
land. 

In coming back for this course, 1 had to 
travel in a box car. The journey tcx^k two 
days altogether, the train being simply an 
empty supply train returning from railhead. 
1 had a splendid view of an air raid on a 
French town, by two Taube planes, cmu^ night 
on the way. The train stopped while the 
planes were around and 1 climbed on top of 
the car to see the raiders, who dropped a couple 
o{' bombs on the town, but were driven otV 'l\v 
gun thv. 

Mrs, Wigtield. Frank's sister-iii-law, is look- 



:n[c)N rin.Ai, to viaiv luiun: and hkvom) *21.*J 

iii^U' at'tor my trunk for nu\ and soniLs tliiui^s 
out to nic as I weed Ihcni. It is very good of 
her \o do so, aud I should like you to write and 
thank her for it. 

1 am very i>lad {o be >vith my battalion at 
last. It has taken me a long while to get hero, 
but that has not been my fault. The battalion 
has been in a very busy [)art oi^ the line for 
some time, and I imagine we shall be going out 
of the line for a rest before long, and then into 
a more })eaceful part of the line. 

With mueh love to all at home, 

Your loving son, 

Ci-irroim. 

Sth Battalion Canadians, 

B, E. F., France, 

Oct 25th, 1916. 
iMv Df.ak Cf.okge, 

About ten days ago I wrote you enelosing a 
letter to be gi\en to mother in ease I was 
pegged out in the attaek whieh we were then 
antieipating. \\'\\\ you please destroy the let- 
ter to mother, whieh was written for that one 
speeial oeeasion, and keep the one whieh 1 am 
sending herewith to give to her if, at any time 
during the war, 1 slionld ''go w^est." 

AVhen T wrote last, I am afraid T was in a 



214 3I0XTRKAL TO vniY RIDGE AND BF.YOND 

rather pessimistic humour. This does not often 
occur. When I wrote I had passed through 
my baptism of tire. I was complimented by 
my company conmiander on my coolness dur- 
ing the bombardment, but when we had come 
out into reserve for a day or t>\o in anticipation 
of o'oincr in a^-ain, the narrowness of mv es- 
capes impressed me and was responsible for the 
rather despondent tone of my letter. 

Perhaps the best way to break into the game 
is to go through a "show" (as a battle is called) 
the lirst thing and learn the worst there is to 
experience. Anyway, that is what happened 
to me. and I am none the worse for it, and can 
look forward to ordinary peaceful trench war- 
fare with perfect equanimity. 

When actually in the line (the fighting was 
fairly open") the first time, everything seemed 
unreal. I could not make myself feel that the 
shells bursting around us were really intended 
to harm us, and it was a shock to see a shell 
which burst in the German lines hurl two bod- 
ies To feet or more into the air. 

One night I was sent out on a patrol into 
Xo Plan's Land to see if our bombardment had 
cut the German wire. We came to a short sec- 
tion of trench midway between the lines which 
the Germans had evacuated. AA'c crept up to 



310NTKKA1. TO VI MV UIDCK AND BFA'ONP 215 

it on hands and knees, and eautiously looked 
in. There, hy the moonhght, we saw three dead 
lying on the ground, and one, evidently a sen- 
try, standing up holding his riHe with tixed 
bayonet in one liand. lie was leaning against 
the parapet with his head resting on his arm, 
as though he hatl fallen asleep at his post — as 
he had, with a bullet through his head. Then 
we — two men and myself — crept on, finding- 
dead everywhere, for the field had been the 
scene of a terrific fight. Close to our own par- 
apet we foinid a dead Canadian. We brought 
in his identity disc, papers, etc., from his 
pockets. ^Vmong the papers was a short poem 
beginning : 

"Sing me to sleep where the bullets fall, 
Let me forget the war and all." 

Our artillery nmst send over two shells to 
Fritz's one, and ours are the heavier as a rule. 
Our 9.2 's do terrific execution. Fritz cannot 
see where his shells are bursting, as his planes 
are kept ofi' so well by our airmen. His fire, 
moreover, would dwindle away to nothing al- 
most, when our planes went over his lines, as 
he is so afraid of revealing his gun positions 
to our heavy artillery. 



Altog'ethor, now that I luno takon tho 
plunge. I am not having too bad a tiuK\ I 
tVol that 1 have boon through tho worst thore 

is to go through, aiul tho ovou tonor of tronoh 
wartaro has lost its torrors. 

AVolh I must oloso now. \\'i-ito soon to 
Your brothor 

Ci 111'OK.n. 

Sth Bn. Camuliarh^, B. K. F.. 

October- ^^, 1 9 id. 
M\ Paki i>\; MoruFK. 

1 rojoinod tho l>attahon yostorday aftor my 
oourso. \\'o aro in vory oomt'ortablo billots in 
a protty littlo villago quito a way baok from tho 
lino, and aro onjoying a good rost. Tho four 
otHoors oi' D C'ompany to w hioh I belong havo 
a room in a farm houso on tho outskirts <-*{' tlio 
villago. Tho mon sloop on tho hay in tho barn. 
Thoy on joy thomsolvos groat ly, assisting tho 
farmer, and doing tho olmrning for tho farm- 
er's (.laughters. Tho farmer is oxeused nn!irtary 
serviee owing to having seven ehiUlren. He is 
a prosperous farmer, and his family is cmo oi' 
the happiest I have over sxhmi. Kvery evening 
they all gather in the kitehon. and laugh and 
ehatter away like a lot oi ehildron. 

I am sending you a few oards from plaoes 



>viiioh I have scon pvlioncvcr yi)u got a post 
oarJ you Nvill know that I havo hoon at tho 
phioo pioturodK also sonio i)hotos whioh 1 had 
taken whilo I was away for tho oonrso. In tho 
group tho one standing is my friond Ford of 
tho P. r. C. 1.. I., and tho otJior two aro Eng- 
lish and Sootoh, ono-star wondors, /'. ('., 'Jud 
l.ioutonants, Avho woro in our oLhss. 1 had a 
vory pleasant time while 1 was away. Now 
that I iiavo returned full of knowledge, 1 havo 
hoon put in ehargo oi' tho Lewis Giui Detaoh- 
nient oi' the Company, in addition to eommand- 
ing a platoon. 1 am glad of this as it keeps 
me Inisy, and so makes the time pass more 
cpiiokly and pleasantly. 1 am also sending you 
a little souvenir made oi' Gorman ritio car- 
tridges picked up after the l>attle oi' the 
Marne. I do not Iniy souvenirs as a rule, pre- 
ferring to find my own, but this was so beau- 
tifully made, and should prove useful, that I 
got it for you. 1 bought it in a little store near 
here where it was made. It is a stand to hold 
a wateh. The German bullet is a little smaller 
than ours, and makes a very neat, olean wound, 
as a rule. 

1 should be glad if you wcndd send me a 
l>alaclava Helmet — cMie not too w arm. I have 
had my hair elipped oiV elose all over my head. 



•JIS MON UKFAl 10 VIMY KH\;F ANP lU'VONU 

and >vould bo glad of a light Balaclava to ^vcar 
at night. I would also be glad of another pad 
like this one. 

I'nfortnnately there is another Lt. \Vells 
(an Englishman'* in the Battalioti. His in- 
itials are C. II., so it is necessary to mark let- 
ters and parcels for me very distinctly. 

I nuist close now. With great love, 

Cl IFtVKP. 

V. S. \n your next box, will you please slip 
in something to read. Son\e cheap copy of a 
good novel, or some other book — not too deep, 
but yet of a good length. Some good old Eng- 
lish novel preferably. One of Jane Austen or 
Thackeray, or some good modern novel or es- 
say — anything with lots of reading matter in 
it. I am asking Enmia to do the same. All 
reading matter is carefully preserved and 
passed around. 

Sth Battalion. Caiunlians, i>. IJ. F. 

France, October SO, 1916. 
Alv Dkak Fauufk, 

1 received to-day your interesting letter of 
September '29. I enjoyed your description o^ 
\''aJcartier. You must have learned a great 
deal more of camp life, and moral conditions 
in the army, than would have been possible in 



M()N'rin:AL to viiniv uidcjk and iu.vond 219 

any otiu 1- way. 1 was imicli interested in your 
suniniary of the situiitioii in the chureh. I 
trust that the fourth year of your ])astorate 
>vill ])r()ve to he tlie hest so far, and that the 
new huilding- will he in existenee sooner than 
now seems possihle. I like to keep in toueh 
with things at home, and to feel that I have 
some interest in the world apart from the war. 

Von prohal)Iy know in what part of the Hne 
the Canachans have heen until reeently. We 
have heen on the march for some days, and he- 
fore long will be going into the line again — 
this time at a very quiet part. After the fierce 
ligliting of the region we have left ordinary 
trench warfare will seem calm and peaceful. 

As I look hack on my military experiences 
hitherto, I feel that I have been wonderfully 
and providentially guided, and protected. My 
promotion has been rapid and not obtained 
through ''pull." JNIy training in the 4th Uni- 
versity Company was an excellent basis for 
the fnrtlier training which I received as a Ser- 
geant in Kngland. If I had not served in the 
ranks, I should not have felt competent to hold 
a commission. Then the courses which I took 
in England — Bombing and Lewis Gun — were 
the two most practical and useful courses I 
could have had. Then after I came to France 



220 ]MONTREAL TO YIMY IMDGE AND BF.YOND 

I ^vas with the Entrenching Battalion dnring 
most of the heavy fighting in which the Cana- 
dians were engaged. I joined the 8th in time 
to take part in the hist *'show" (a battle is 
called a ''show" over here) before we moved 
away from the Somme. One snch show is 
equal to about three months of ordinary war- 
fare, so I feel like a veteran already. 

Everything is done by companies over here. 
When we go into the line each company takes 
over a section of the trench from a company 
of the battalion we are relieving. When we 
are out, each company is billetted separately. 
The company officers eat and sleep together. 
There should be six officers for each company, 
but there are seldom that many. 

Some of the German dugouts which I have 
seen are remarkably elaborate. ^lost of them 
have floors, walls, and ceiling lined with boards 
about two inches thick. The}- are dry and com- 
fortable. INIany have stairs leading down into 
them, being thirty or forty feet underground, 
with various rooms and passages. One in 
which I slept was merely a tunnel running 
straight into the side of a hill. It was about 
thirty feet long, four feet wide and three feet 
high, and was lined with 2-inch lumber. The 
amount of wood which the Germans use is 



MONTREAL TO VIMVf UIDC.K AND liKVONJ) 221 

enormous. Our men are lazy in comparison 
with the Germans. They j)refe]- to scoop out 
a little hole under the j)arapet rather than to 
dig a really homh-proof dugout for themselves. 
Where the push is taking place the trenches 
are very simple and shallow, being hastily dug 
and not intended for permanent occupation. 

We are slowly winning back the country 
from the Ciermans, but when a bit of territory 
is won back it is in a terrible condition. The 
fields are ploughed up by shells, trenches and 
barbed wire everywhere. The villages are in 
ruins. At dusk one evening, knowing I was 
in the neighbourhood of a certain village, I 
enquired where it was. I found that I was in 
the midst of it. I had supposed I was in the 
open country, for as I looked about no build- 
ings were visible. Every building in the vil- 
lage was flat upon the ground, smashed into 
little bits. Strange to say, a number of trees 
were still standing. In the dark I had sup- 
posed the trees stood in open fields, but instead 
they stood in a wilderness of shattered bricks 
and boards, which are still occasionally 
churned up by the German artillery fire. 

Our artillery does terrific execution. Our 
planes sail over the German lines continually, 
and are able to signal directions to the gunners. 



.^ v.>:\ k:;\;f am^ r>v\OM"> 



Their presence has anotlier gv^xxi ett^vt. The 
German artillery tire diminishes as s^xni as our 
planes gv^ over, so fearful are they of revealing 
their gun positions. 

During my tirst trip m the luu\ I had a most 
remarkable experience, such as has occurred 
to no other otHcer of my acquaintance. 1 do 
not think it wise to write about it at present, 
but some day 1 sliall let you know all about it. 

Two letters from mother and one from Kae 
have just reached me. 1 shall answer them 
before we leave our present billets. 

Your attectionate son. 

Clu^ix^kp .V. Wei -US. 



NOVEMBER, 1916 

Socks for Soldiers — Writing in a Front Line Dugout — 
30 Yards from the Enemy Safer than 200 — Changed 
by War — The Day's Work at the Front — A Shrieking 
Frenchwoman — Souvenirs — The Usefulness of the 
Chaplain — Wild Geese. 

Somewhere in France, 

November 1, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

I have to-night to answer five letters of 
yours — two came yesterday and three less 
than an hour ago, Sept. 23, Sept. 27, Sept. 30, 
Oct. 6 and Oct. 10, are their dates. It is de- 
lightful to hear from home. 

You ask about my diary. I will send it 
home at the end of the year, if you will send 
me one for 1917. My diary is just a brief 
record of where 1 am, and what I am doing. 
My letters are the fullest record of my ex- 
periences. Many things I cannot write about, 
but will describe when I get home. 

I am well supplied with socks, and have a 
good supply of paper for my notebook, so you 
need not send any more of these at present. I 

223 



224 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

like long socks. Of course I can always find 
men to give socks to, but those that are issued 
are really quite good enough for the hard 
usage they get out here; so do not work too 
hard at knitting socks for any one but me. A 
large proportion of the men get packages from 
England or Canada, and they share them with 
each other. 

I am glad you like the Little Black Devil 
brooch. It is really a distinctive badge, and 
historical, too, for a Canadian Regiment. I 
like your parcels very much indeed. The 
things you send are just right. When I think 
of anything else, I will let you know. By the 
way, a tin of cocoa would be welcome, and I 
would like some real home-made fudge. I am 
very fond of chocolate in any form. The pack- 
ing of your parcels is excellent, and they ar- 
rive in good condition in spite of hard usage en 
route. 

Do you like the photos I sent recently? I 
wish I could have one taken in full marching 
order — with revolver, gas helmet, steel helmet, 
water-bottle, haversack, pack, etc. 

I wish I could tell you just where I am, and 
where I have been. When we go into the line 
again, it will be in a very quiet part of the line, 
where both sides are content to hold their posi- 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 225 

tions for the present without trying to advance. 
My address will not change again in the 
near future, so I will give it in full now, and 
will not repeat it in every letter, as I can write 
more fully sometimes if I do not mention the 
battalion I belong to : 

Lieut. C. A. Wells, 

8th Battalion, Canadians, 
D Company, B. E. F., 

France. 
This will always find me. 
I will close now, as I have to get up early in 
the morning. At present I am second in com- 
mand of the company, a Platoon Commander, 
Company Mess Secretary, and Company 
Lewis Gun Officer. All this keeps me busy, 
and makes the time pass quickly. 

Good night, Molly darling, 

Clifford. 
P. S. Please excuse this paper, the only 
kind available at the moment. A writing pad 
is a good thing to put in a box. I cannot carry 
much paper around with me, and have to use 
whatever is at hand. Also, something to read. 
I am at present reading "The Fortunes of 
Nigel," by Scott, and have also "A Kentucky 
Cardinal" on hand. Anything to read is wel- 
come. 



220 MONTKF^SX TO VIMY KIDGK AND BFA'OXD 

So matcher e in France, 

Xoi\ J, 1916. 
Dearest ^Mother, 

I am writing this letter about 8 P. 31. in a 
dugout in the front hue. The dugout is not 
actually in the tire trench, but in the close sup- 
port trench a few yards behind the lire trench. 
The dugout serves as our Company Headquar- 
ters, and it is here that I sleep. This is a very 
quiet part of the line. Occasionally I hear a 
gun tired and a shell whistles overhead. An 
occasional rifle shot or machine gun rattle is 
heard (probably tired at some point where 
there might be a German, not at any visible 
target). Trench mortars are the most active 
weapon. We send over about fl\e bombs in 
answer to one of Fritz's. But altogether 
things are so quiet here that one would scarcely 
believe there is a war on. About an hour ago 
we could actually hear a band playing in the 
distance, some miles behind the line. And yet 
w^e are within three hundred yards of the Ger- 
mans. Probably the German officers opposite 
us have most luxurious dugouts, with board 
floors, walls, and roofs. Ours have no floor- 
ing. The walls are covered with flne-meshed 
wire netting, the roof is of corrugated iron 



MON'rKF.Al. TO VIMV KIDcH: AM) lU'AOM) '^27 

covered with sandbags, and sn])pc)rte(.l by rongh 
timbers. 

The ration party, which goes back each eve- 
ning to bring np the rations for the follow ing 
day, has jnst retnrned. They bronght nie a 
parcel from you containing socks, toothpaste, 
candy, shaving soap, shaving paper, foot pow- 
der, and otlier things. Thank you very much, 
mother dear. I am well supplied with socks 
at present. The shaving paper (a little pad, 
you remember) I shall keep for a writing pad, 
as it is a convenient size to carry with me. The 
toothpaste and tooth brush are both very wel- 
come, and also the wash cloth. In civilian life 
1 seldom used a wash cloth, but in the trenches, 
where water is so scarce and so precious, I find 
a wash cloth is a good thino\ as it enables one 
to wash his face (and neck) with a minimum 
waste of water. 

I believe that for some months you can count 
on me being in this safe and quiet part of the 
line. If it were not for the mud and the rats 
and mice, we should be very comfortable in- 
deed. As it is we are having a o'ood rest here. 
There is a town near by just behind the Ger- 
man lines which has not been shelled at all. 
We can see houses, factories, churches, all in- 
tact, but no smoke from the chimnevs or any 



2*28 MONTREAL TO vniY KllH^F. AND BF.YOND 

other sign of life, as it is entirely deserted. 

In coming np to our present position we 
marched along a road through vilhiges de- 
stroyed by shell tire a year or more ago, the 
only occupants l>eing artillery men who live in 
cellars and dugouts under the ruins. We 
caught glimpses of the nuizzles of huge guns 
peeping out from amid ruined houses. Then 
we entered a long comnnniication trench which 
finally emerged in a little valley. On the far 
side of this little valley or ravine dugouts were 
cut into the slopes, along the top o( which rims 
our front line. Fritz's line is a little lower 
than ours on the far side of the slope. In some 
places the lines are only 80 yards apart, in 
other places 500 yards apart. When the lines 
are very close together, both sides keep only a 
few men in the front line, where the trenches 
are very deep, and very little activity is shown 
by either side: so that one is really safer when 
only thirty yards from Fritz than when 200 
yards away. 

I must close now and gc^ to visit the sentries. 
Things are nuich quieter here than in the me- 
tropolis of Canada, so I shall be able to get a 
good night's sleep imtil "Stand to" an hour 
before dawn. AVith great love, 

Clifford. 



3r()XTKKAL TO VniY KIDGE AND BF.YOND 229 

Somctchcrc in France^ 

November S, 1016, 
Dear Rae, 

I received your letter of September 2-1 a 
few days ago. I am sorry you never received 
any acknowledgment of the handkerchief you 
sent me on my birthday. I feel sure I sent 
one. In any case, I was glad to hear from you 
and to receive the handkerchief, which is al- 
ways a welcome gift. 

I am writing this letter in a dugout within 
three hundred yards of the Germans. It is 
a very quiet part of the line. The Germans do 
not bother us much, and we do bol:her them 
very much. If they throw^ a trench-mortar 
bomb at us, we throw back five at them; so it 
does not pay Fritz to "start anything." The 
worst things to contend with are rats, mice, 
and mud. The dugout in which I am writing 
is inhabited by no rats, four officers, and forty- 
six mice. The mud outside surpasses any- 
thing you can imagine. We are plastered with 
mud day and night. I had a bath two days 
ago, and will have another in about two wrecks 
if all goes well. I enjoy baths. 

You ask what my weight is — I have not 
been weighed for some time, but I imagine I 



230 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

weigh about 156. I am a good deal heavier 
than when I left home. 

The rations for tomorrow have just been 
brought up, and the Q. M. S. (Ned will tell 
you what the initials stand for) tells me there 
are two parcels for me ; so I am anxiously wait- 
ing for them to be delivered to me. All the 
trenches have names, like streets, with sign- 
boards at the intersections. Otherwise one 
would lose his way, as there are trenches, com- 
munication-trenches, and saps running in all 
directions. 

I must close now. There is really not much 
I can say in a letter from here. Write soon, 
as I am always glad to hear from you. 

Affectionately, 

Clifford. 

France, November 4, 1916, 
Dearest Mother, 

In my letter two days ago I did not mention 
two or three of the most welcome things in your 
box. One is the book "Servitude et Grandeur 
JNIilitaires," which I shall read with great in- 
terest when we return to billets. Another is 
the ink tablets which will be very useful. The 
fish paste I shall keep as an emergency ration 
to eke out the diet of "bully-beef" (/. e., canned 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 231 

corn beef) and hard tack to which we are some- 
times reduced. 

Last night I received a nice long letter from 
George. He hopes you will be able to visit 
him when you go to Hamilton. I hope so too, 
as I know you have been working hard and 
need a rest. Sometimes I feel that a peaceful 
academic life is very desii'able, and at other 
times I wonder if I will ever be able to settle 
down to such an existence after moving about 
so much this last year and having so many 
strange and exciting experiences. 

Everything has been going well since last I 
wrote. I have good nerves, good health, and 
a good Platoon Sergeant; so am just as well 
off out here as any one could be. I feel sorry 
for some who suffer from poor health, but when 
one is blest with a sound constitution — and a 
sense of humour — he can get on very well in- 
deed. 

To-day is a beautiful autumn day, with a 
high wind blowing the clouds across the sky, 
and doing its best to dry up the mud. We 
have had a great deal of rain lately. The soil 
here is clay in some spots and chalk in others. 
The clay is stickier, but the chalk marks one's 
clothes more; so there is little to choose be- 



*J;VJ MON rui Ai. vo viMY Kii)«.n: anh iu.vonu 

twcon thoni. 1 sccni to have a groat attraction 
for both. 

AVith lovo. 

Cl.lFlOHD. 



Xovrmhcr '^h. IP Id 
!M\ DV.AK Cf.okof., 

I roocivcd yostorday your lot tor o( C)otobor 
l.*)th. In it yon spoko of a U^ttor provionsly 
^vritton anil aihlrossod to nio whioh hail boon 
lost. This tnrnoil u[) to-day. It is datoil Sop- 
tonibor iMMh. bnt tho pi\stniark on it was Clovo- 
lanih Oot. "ISth. Si^no ono nuist liavo oarriod 
it aromul with him for on or two wooks. 

It ninst luno boon cpiito a shook [o yon whon 
yonr stroot-oar killoil tho antc^ driNoc. It 
would havo boon to uio a yoar ago, but now 
blmnly doath is a familiar sight. I am a dif- 
foront man to tho ono n\1u> onlistoil in Montroal 
fourteen months ago. No ono oan go through 
tho day's wiM'k cnit here ami remain unohanged. 

Vou say that probably sovcM-al millicMi men 
fool as 1 do — that it woukl bi^ hanl to return 
to humdrum oiN iHan life. 1 think tho majcM-ity 
o{' tiiose who ha\ boon in tho front lino, espe- 
eially in a busy seetor. will bo imly too glad to 
return to eivilian life. I may fcvl that way 
mvst^lf. It is not luH'ause tho horriu's o\' war 



IMON'rKl.AI, I'O VIMV KWHll) AND lU'VONI) 2X1 

iiltrac't luc thai 1 I'col 1 should Ukc to rtinain 
ill the army, hut that niiHtary lilV is the only 
really i)ractic*al line oT aciivily of which 1 
know anyl]iinL>' or in wliich 1 liavc e\cr "made 
good." Ol' husinoss 1 know nolhing. Neither 
seienee nor medicine attracts me. It will he 
rathcM- late to ♦>•() into hiw. So the only alter- 
natives are tiie army, and the academic life for 
which I was })re[)aring-. 1 feel that 1 have 
made o-ood in the former, and couUl rise con- 
siderahly higher hy hard work. Quite Hkely, 
however, 1 shall return to my old ideas of a 
comfortahle and interesting existence as a 
Professor and iVrchiVologist. 

iVlready, I have a fund of experiences to 
relate when 1 get back. 1 have seen severe 
open fighting, and am now^ enjoying j)eaceful 
trencli warfare. There is a fairly regular ex- 
change of a certain number of missiles of vari- 
ous sorts daily. We "stand to" for an hour 
at daybreak and again at dusk — the usual 
times for an attack. After "stand down" in 
the morning the men clean their rifles. After 
breakfast the morning "strafe'' begins. Kifle 
grenades and trench mortars are fired by both 
sides, while there is more or less artillery fire, 
and ranging fire by machine guns^ — also a little 
sniping. About noon both sides seem to knock 



234 MONTRF-VL TO VIMY KIPGV. AN P BFYONn 

off for lunch until it is time iov the afternoon 
strafe. All night there is intermittent ma- 
chine gun and ritle tii'e. Both sides have work- 
ing parties at various places, behind the front 
line, and patrols and wiring parties out in 
front. Such is the day's routine. There is, 
of course, always the possibility of one side 
sprmging a mine or making a raid, and inces- 
sant watch must be kept to guard against these 
possibilities. The mental strain is suthcient 
to make every one glad when the relieving bat- 
talion appears, and we can go back for a rest 
and a bath. 

I write very frankly in my letters to you, 
stating just how 1 feel at the moment. This is 
a sort of safety valve. 1 have to In? very 
guarded in nay letters to mother so as not to 
mention anything which is liable to cause un- 
necessary worry; so if you do not mind being 
used as an escape-valve for my feelings. 1 
shall continue to write freely to you. 

Remember me to Dr. Dunlop when you 
write to him. C^ne thing he told me in his 
undergrad-class 1 have found very true — viz.: 
that by practice one can develop his power of 
seeing things clearly out of tlie corner of his 
eye. 

1 am writiuii' this bv candle lii:"ht in a dui2'- 



^lONTKKAL TO VOIY KIDUK AM) lU-AOXl) 23.5 

out ill the support trench. It is about 10 
V. ^l. Fritz is throwmg "minnies" (mineii- 
werfer bombs ) over oiu* way, which is contrary 
to all precedent, and will provoke retaliation 
from our trench mortars. The opposing trench 
lines hereabout vary in their distance from each 
other from 80 to 500 yards. 

Cive my love to 31ildred and the children, 
and tell them 1 shall pay them a visit some day 
next year. Your brother 

Clifford. 

November 16, 1916. 
Dearest ^Iothfj?, 

I have on hand your letter of October 19th, 
written in Hamilton, and your letter of the 
•21st, begun in Hamilton and finished in West- 
mount. We are back in comfortable billets 
again for a few days, and are enjoying a rest. 
The chief annoyance is a large battery in our 
back yard, so to speak, which fires frequently, 
and shakes the remains of the ruined house in 
which the company otticers are billeted. Very 
few houses are left standing here. 

I am glad you enjoyed your trip to Ontario, 
and met so many old friends. I always ac- 
knowledge letters and packages. You ask 
about some little militarv books sent some time 



236 MOXTRE.U. TO vniY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

ago. I received them, and thank you for them 
— also for the set of dominoes in a letter a short 
time ago. There is a great deal of talking go- 
ing on in this room, and the guns just outside 
are making a terrific row: so I cannot write 
very coherently. 

The part of the line where we are now is very 
quiet by comparison with other parts. The 
lines are close together. One night I could 
hear a German coughing. He seemed to have 
a very bad cold, poor chap. The mud in the 
trenches is very deep. One part of the trench 
had water 18 inches deep in it, but no one had 
to stand there. We all have been issued with 
rubber boots which come away above the knees 
and keep one's feet dry, so the mud does not 
trouble us much. 

I think I had better close now, and write 
again before long. There is such a confusion 
going on that I cannot write properly. This 
is just a note to let you know I am in good 
health and thinking of you. 

Will write again soon. 

With love, 

Clifford. 

P. S. Please keep enclosed notes from 
notebook, which was getting too bulky. Have 
plenty of paper for it at present. 



MONTREAL TO yi:MY RIDGE AND BEYOND 237 

8th Battalion, Canadians, 
B, E, F„ France, 

November 19, 1916. 
Dearest JNIother, 

Your letter of November 1st reached me 
last night. It contained a little pad, which I 
was glad to get. You ask again about my 
boxes. I always acknowledge them when I 
receive them. Often perhaps the box is de- 
layed in reaching me, and my acknowledg- 
ment in reaching you. If you will put the date 
on the tag on each box I will send a "whizz- 
bang" (Field Post Card) acknowledging it 
at once. It is not always possible to send a 
letter immediately. 

Yesterday we moved to a different village. 
We found the company officers' quarters would 
be \ev\ crowded, so I went out to look for 
other accommodation. We found one house 
M'here there was a large room occupied by only 
two officers. There was plenty of room for 
four, but the Frenchw^oman, whose house it 
was, insisted that there were billets for only 
two there. Another officer and I went into the 
room to see for ourselves how" much room there 
was. The woman followed us, screaming at 
us in a ferocious manner. ^ly friend put his 



238 MONTKKAl. TO VniY KllH^K AM) HFAONO 

coat on a table in the room. She threw it on 
the floor. I attempted to cross the room: she 
seized me by the arm and dragged me back 
very roughly. She was shrieking at us all the 
while. Finally, she routed us both, and we 
had to retreat leaving her in possession of the 
house. I do not know how many officers are 
supposed to be billeted in the room, nor do I 
care. Nothing would induce any of us to ven- 
ture near that house aii'ain. One of the bat- 
men had to o-o there on an errand. The woman 
picked up a pail of water to throw at him, but 
he retreated soon enough to avoid getting wet. 
Experiences like this are very unusual (I 
am glad to say"). Usually the people with 
whom we are billeted make us as comfortable 
as possible, and do not seem to mind the trou- 
ble. Of course, they have no say in the matter. 
A certain number of otHcers or men is quar- 
tered upon them, and they are paitl aeeord- 
ingly. of course. \'ery frequently, in fact usu- 
ally, the places where we are billeted are de- 
serted, so far as civilian inhabitants go. C^ften 
they are in ruins, and we have to make our- 
selves comfortable in cellars or dugxnits. It 
is very pleasant to get back to a place where 
there are civilians, and shops, even if it is only 



IMONTUEAL TO VmV UWCA') AND HKVOM) 231) 

a tumble down village like this one. We are 
less than live miles iVoni the German Hnes — 
within easy artillery range if Fritz had shells 
to waste and yet life goes on here mueh as 
usual. The village sehool aeross the street is 
apparently well attended. 

I should like very mueh to reeeive a niee 
large rieh fruit eake in one of your bt)xes — 
also a box of grapenuts. 

Good-bye for the present, Molly dear. 
With lots of love, 

Clifford. J 

V. S. As my address will not be ehanging 
in the near future, 1 may not always repeat it 
in my letters. 

Please give my love to l^aura xVmelia when 
you write to her. 1 am glad to hear that she 
is getting on well. 

1 am sending home my little stud case, as 
it is getting battered. In it are a few little 
souvenirs — an 11th Bn eap badge, and an 8th 
Wn ditto, a pieee of the ruined cathedral at 
Ypres, a eartritlge for tiring a ritle grenade, 
and three bullets — the largest French, the 
smallest German, the other English. I think 
you have a 4th l^niversity Coy eap badge. 



2-10 MONTREAL TO YIMY lUDGE AND BEYOND 

8th Battalion, Canadians, 
B, E. F., France, Xovcmber 19, 1916. 
M\^ DEAR Father, 

This note is to wish you a very happy birth- 
day, and many happy returns of it. I am 
afraid you will not get this until early in De- 
cember, but I shall think of you when Novem- 
ber 28th comes around, and shall hope to be 
home for your next birthday. 

Today is Sunday, and as we are back in re- 
serve at present, we had a church parade this 
morning. We had no music, having no bat- 
talion band, but apart from that the service 
was very good. We have a good padre — Capt. 
Harrison of B. C. — whose sermons, when we 
have a service, are very helpful. It usually 
happens that we are in the front line or in 
support on Sunda}^ The Chaplain has a good 
many opportunities to be useful — not only in 
holding services — formal parades and others — 
but also in looking up information about men 
who are reported "INIissing," etc. He conducts 
burial services, visits the sick, and looks after 
the men's welfare in every way possible. 

An interesting thing occurred last week 
when we were in the front line — a great flock 



MONTREAL TO VIMY KIDGE AND IJEVONI) 241 

of wild geese flew over the lines from the Ger- 
man side to onrs. I suppose they were on their 
way south for the winter. There must have 
been two or three hundred of them. As they 
crossed Fritz's line, there was no shooting, but 
as they reached our lines a fusiUade began — 
men firing their rifles at the birds all down the 
line — without hitting any of them. The Ger- 
mans became alarmed, thinking we were about 
to start something. They immediately opened 
fire with rifles and trench mortars, but soon 
quieted down again when they realised we were 
not going to attack. The geese were flying in 
a V-shaped formation, but when the shooting 
began the large flock broke up into about a 
dozen small flocks, each in a V shape, and all 
wheeled to the left and made off as regularly 
as a body of troops which had unexpectedly 
come under fire. 

Please give my love to grandmother when 
next you write to her. 

Your affectionate son, 

CiJEFORD A. Wells. 

P. S. There is very little news I can put in 
letters, but I shall have a great deal to tell you 
when I get home. 



242 :M0N rUFAL to V131Y kidgk anp bfaond 

Xovcmhcr 20,1910. 
De.\kkst 3I0THEK, 

1 received this evening your letter of Xo- 
vember 8, containing the little safety pin for 
my collar. It is a beauty, and I am much 
pleased witli it. You must think of me a great 
deal, mother, to send me so many nice pres- 
ents. You ^vill be pleased to know that I re- 
ceived two boxes in one day this week — cme 
from you direct containing a lovely fruit cake. 
All the otticers of the company enjoyed it very 
much. There were also some socks and other 
comforts, all oi which were very acceptable. 
The same evening a box of delicious short- 
bread came from Glasgow. I like shortbread 
or shortcake (which is itO very much indeed. 
If you will date your parcels, I can tell wliich 
ones you refer to in your letters. 1 do ncU 
know whether the socks which came with the 
fruit cake were those knitted by ^Irs. ^luir or 
not. If they were, please thank her very 
kindly for them. 

Here is a little bit of good news for you, 
mother. I have reason to believe that, by the 
time you receive this letter, I shall have been 
in the trenches for the last time till after New 
Year's Dav. So at Christmas time, vou mav 



:MONrKKxVl. TO VIMY RIDGE AM) BEYOND 24<3 

tliiiik of me as being safe and eonifortable. I 
cannot explain more fully how and why I shall 
be out for so long, but 1 am confident it will be 
as I have said. 

You ask whether I want scarfs or socks for 
the men. Socks I can always use, but scarfs 
are not so much in demand. Balaclava caps 
are more useful. 1 want one of them myself 
to sleep in (/. c, to wear when I sleep). I 
have a very good batman now — a young Eng- 
lish boy — who joined the battalion about the 
time 1 did. His people in England keep him 
pretty well supplied with comforts. 

I must close now, INlolly. 

With much love, 

Clifford. 



DECEMBER, 1916 

Description of a Dugout — Poultry Running Wild — 
When He Blushed — Request for Maple Sugar — Hap- 
pier at the Front than at Home as a Slacker — A The- 
atrical Company — "I Have a Motto" — Front Line 
Opinions of U. S. A. — A Cooking Experiment — A 
Christmas Lore-Message — Military Decorations — 
The Farmer's Ruined Tree. 

December 1, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

A letter from you written September 1st 
has just arrived. Three months en route. It 
went to the 8th Battalion, then back to the 
base, then to the Entrenching Battalion, and 
finally here. My address is permanent at last, 
and so my mail will no longer be subject to 
such delays. 

I wish you could see my present surround- 
ings. I am in our Company Headquarters in 
the line — a dugout thirty feet underground 
with board floor, walls and roof. It was built 
by the French who originally held this part of 
the line. The room is about 8 feet wide, 15 
feet long, and 6 feet high. The signallers oc- 

244 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 245 

cupy one corner of it with their telegraph and 
telephone instruments. A good deal of space 
is taken up with the timber props for the roof 
which makes the room seem smaller than it is. 
There are three entrances. One is continually 
banging one's head in coming in and out of 
these dugouts, so I always wear my steel hel- 
met or ''tin hat," which is really a splendid pro- 
tection for the head against knocks of all sorts. 

This part of the line is quiet enough for the 
sergeants and officers to be able to take turns 
on "trench duty" — that is in patrolling the 
front line to see that sentries, bombing posts, 
listening posts, machine gun crews, etc., are 
all attending to their business, and that every- 
thing is O. K. This is my night off, and so at 
9.30 P. M. I am back in Company Headquar- 
ters writing this letter, and do not go on duty 
again until "Standto" in the morning. 

Down underground here the air is rather 
heavy, while outdoors it is a clear frosty night. 
After being outdoors all day one sleeps very 
soundly in a warm dugout (this one is warm) , 
so I feel that I had better turn in and sleep 
while I can. 

Good night, mother dear. With love to all, 

Clifford. 

P. S. I may be going on leave before many 



246 :montreal to yi:\iY ridge axd beyond 

weeks pass. Imagine seven whole days in 
England! 

December 7, 1916. 
Dear Rae, 

This is in answer to your letter of November 
12, received a few days ago, and also to thank 
you for the two lovely handkerchiefs which I 
received last night. The latter will be very 
useful as I always need handkerchiefs. 

We have been very fortunate as a battalion 
recently with regard to the weather. It al- 
ways rains when we are back in billets, and 
stays fine when we are in the trenches. If it 
must rain, this is how we would have the rain 
schedule arranged. The battalion that relieves 
us periodically probably does not like it so 
well. 

I shall have hundreds of interesting things 
to tell you when I get home, but for most of 
them you will have to wait until then, as we are 
not allowed to describe many things in our 
letters. 

We are at present a few miles back of the 
line living in caves and dugouts in a wood. 
There are no civilians about here, and the 
poultry from deserted farms is running wild 
in the woods. The officers' cook yesterday 



MONTREAL TO YIIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 247 

shot four wild hens with his rifle and. gave us 
an elegant supper. 

I am 1} ing in a little bunk in a dugout ten 
or twelve feet underground and writing bj^ 
candlelight, so if the writing is not good you 
will have to excuse it. 

I have to get up early to-morrow, so had 
better close now. 

Affectionately, 

Clifford. 

December 8, 1916. 
Dearest JIother, 

I have sent you a package of Christmas cards 
addressed to various people. Will you please 
see that they are all forwarded? I am not 
sending any Christmas presents this year. 
One has not much opportunity to buy things 
which it would be worth while to send. If I 
go to England on leave I shall take a few 
souvenirs with me, but shall have to leave them 
there in my trunk, as I cannot send them home 
by mail. 

Your box of November 6th reached me 
safely a few days ago. The socks, chocolate, 
carbolic salve, etc., were all acceptable, and, I 
blush as I w^'ite the w^ords, the insect powder 
has already proved its usefulness. 



248 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

I will tell you two luxuries which I should 
be glad to receive some day — a box of grape- 
nuts, and a small can or bottle of maple sugar. 
If you send the latter (or a tin of maple-ene, 
a mixture from which maple syrup can be made 
— I think I have spelled the name correctly) 
I shall get our cook to make some pancakes, 
and we shall have a real home-like dish. 

Molly dear, I hope you will have a very 
happy Christmas. Of course, I should love to 
be at home, but yet I am happier here than I 
would be if I had remained at home. Next 
year I hope to be home. One never knows 
what will happen. I have been wonderfully 
fortunate hitherto. Next year, who can tell 
what kind of a job I shall have or where I 
shall be? 

Take care of yourself, and take a nap every 
afternoon so that you will be well and strong 
when I come home again. 

With oceans of love, 

Clifford. 

December 8, 1916. 
My dear Father, 

Just a note to wish you a Merry Christmas 
and a Happy New Year. May 1917 be the 
happiest and most encouraging year of your 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 249 

pastorate in Westmount. On Christmas Day, 
wherever I may be, I shall be home in spirit, 
and shall pray that Christmas 1917 may find 
me at home in body too. 

I am sending to each member of the family 
one of the Christmas cards which the 8th offi- 
cers have had printed. I am sending one to 
grandmother too. I hope she will receive it 
safely. 

I am in splendid health and am having many 
interesting experiences, which it will be a great 
pleasure to relate when I get home. Perhaps 
when I go to England on leave I may write 
more fully about some of my experiences than 
I can out here. 

Hoping you are in the best of health, and 
that everything is going well at home and in 
the church, 

I remain. 
Your aiFectionate son, 

Clifford A. Wells. 

December 18, 1916, 
My darling Mother, 

The parcel containing the two polo-caps and 
"John Inglesant" arrived yesterday. The 
former is just the thing to wear when asleep 
when it is cold, and will also be a good thing. 



250 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

I believe, to wear under my steel helmet. The 
book is just the kind I want, a long, interest- 
ing novel. It is one of the great novels in the 
English language although it is not very well 
known. I am looking forward to reading it 
with eagerness. 

Your letter of November 21 is at hand. I 
am glad you like the watch holder and the 
photos. In the photographs I have not my 
Black Devil collar badges. Some day I shall 
have another taken just to show my badges, 
which I have received from England since I 
had the photos taken. 

I have been having a very Christmas-y time 
this last week. I received a lovely large box 
from Emma, a cake from Mr. and ]Mrs. JNIc- 
Tavish, a box from Miss Sims, my old teacher 
at Rosedale school. She must have received 
my address from another boy from Rosedale 
whom I met at ShornclifFe, and again out here 
not long ago. 

I also received a letter from Mary, saying 
she had sent me a parcel, and one from Kather- 
ine signed "Kicking Katherine the Kolicky 
Kid." She tells me that copies of some of my 
letters are read to the Current Events class 
at her school. What an awful responsibility 
I am incurring in writing letters! Please be 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 251 

very careful in the selections of which you 
make copies for circulation. 

I see by referring to your letter that the 
polo-caps are from Mrs. Scott. Thank her 
very kindly for them. The tube of vaseline 
of which you spoke did not come with them. I 
should like some stuff for my hair. I told you 
I had it cut off short. Since then it has grown 
out long again, but without the slight inclina- 
tion to part which it used to have. 

I paid a visit to the P. P. C. L. I. not long 
ago, and had supper with my friend Ford. I 
met several of the 4th University Company, 
including Harry Nesbit, who wished to be re- 
membered to you and father. I forgot that 
Reggie Jones is back with the battalion, and 
so failed to ask for him. The P. P. C. L. I. 
have a theatrical party, about 8 men, who do 
nothing else but give entertainments to the 
battalion when out of the line, and to other 
battalions when the Pats are in the line. I 
went to the entertainment the night I was with 
the battalion. It was really splendid. It runs 
two nights whenever the battalion comes out 
of the line. Half the battalion parades each 
night for the entertainment, otherwise every 
one would try to go both nights. The men en- 
joy it immensely. The singing and acting 



252 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

were really excellent. One song in particular 
you would have enjoyed. It was sung by a 
man wearing his full equipment — rifle, bayo- 
net, entrenching tool, haversack, pack, water- 
bottle, rubber boots slung over his shoulder, 
gas helmet, steel helmet, etc. He came on the 
stage looking as tired, bored, unhappy, and 
'disgusted as any one could, and sang a song 
the burden of which was, 

"I have a motto — 
Always merry and bright." 

The dismal expression of countenance and 
voice with which he sang made it extremely 
funny, and he was encored again and again. 
I must close now, Molly dear. 

With much love, 

Clifford. 

December 22, 1916. 
My DEAR George, 

I am sitting in a room in a farm house on the 
outskirts of a little village with a long winter 
evening before me, part of which I shall devote 
to answering your letter of Nov. 26th, which 
reached me to-day. I am in charge of the only 
troops billeted in this particular village, and 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 253 

SO am in a position of solitary grandeur and 
unwonted independence. This, of course, is in 
the course of a short respite from the trenches. 

The chocolates made by Miss Esther Ward 
have not reached me as yet. I shall acknowl- 
edge them gladly when they come. 

You ask my opinion as to the "feeling among 
intelligent (sic!) officers as to the attitude of 
the U. S. A." I must preface my answer 
with the remark that when one is at the front 
he has little time or inclination for study or 
discussion of the world situation in general, 
and indeed is liable to know less of, and feel 
less concern in, the general situation than one 
who is not engaged in the war so actively. Con- 
sequently, I do not believe there is any very 
strong feeling one way or the other about the 
attitude of the States, especially as it (or they, 
whichever is correct) appears rather negligible 
as a military potentiality in Europe in any 
case. 

Moreover I must admit that my own feeling 
is most probably an important factor in form- 
ing an opinion as to what the general feeling 
is. With this preface I shall try to answer 
your question. 

To understand the feeling toward the U. S. 
A. you must remember our profound convic- 



254 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

tion that the cause of the Allies is the cause of 
civilisation, and that ultimate defeat for the 
Allies would sooner or later prove disastrous 
to the U. S. A. This we think should be evi- 
dent to every intelligent American. Conse- 
quently there cannot but be a slight feeling of 
resentment that the States should apparently 
regard this as a private European war, that she 
should apparently regard English regulations 
which may slightly inconvenience American 
commerce in the same light as Germany's 
flagrant offenses against international law, 
that she should be content as a nation to rake 
in untold wealth while the Allies expend not 
only riches but their best blood in defense of 
principles the vindication of which should con- 
cern the U. S. as much as them. True, the 
U. S. has sent us lots of munitions, but of 
notoriously bad quality and at exorbitant 
prices. The poor quality I know from my own 
observation of more than one kind of munition. 
For any assistance which American supplies 
have given us, we thank the navy which enabled 
them to be brought to us, and not any kind 
feeling on the part of the U. S. A. 

To this feeling of resentment there is added 
a slight feeling of contempt, due to the Presi- 
dent's evident preference for * Verba non acta," 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 255 

to the tame manner in which the country has 
submitted to the murder of her citizens on the 
high seas, and to her failure to protest against 
many of Germany's outrages. The fact that a 
country is "too proud to fight," with all that 
ever-memorable expression connotes from our 
point of view, cannot be readily forgotten by 
those who are doing the fighting for her as 
well as for themselves. 

The foregoing is the best answer I can give 
to your query. What I have written is largely 
my own opinion. As I said before, the gen- 
eral aspects of the war are very little discussed 
in the trenches, and one seldom has an oppor- 
tunity to associate with officers other than those 
of his own imit. 

There is, of course, a sprinkling of Ameri- 
cans in the Canadian Army. In most cases 
they are the sons of British parents, or Brit- 
ishers who happened to be resident in the 
States. What bona fide Americans there are, 
are in general either adventurers or U. S. citi- 
zens honestly dissatisfied with the neutrality 
of their country. The total number of Ameri- 
cans in the Canadian Army is, I have read in 
a New York paper, much less than the num- 
ber of Canadians who fought for the North in 
the American Civil War. 



250 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

To change the subject — you speak of a 
meeting of the A. A. A. S. I wonder what 
these initials stand for. The only thing they 
suggest to me is "American Ant i- Aircraft So- 
ciety," which can scarcely be correct. 

You ask for a souvenir of the battlefield. 
Certain articles only can be taken as souvenirs. 
German rifles and revolvers are taboo, al- 
though they are sometimes smuggled across 
to Blighty. I carried a little German novel 
that I picked up in a captured trench for some 
time, but finally threw it away. That is the 
fate of most souvenirs. However, I am saving 
a few little things which may be of interest in 
the future, and shall have something for you. 

I was reported wounded some time ago. In 
the course of a certain "liveliness" in No IMan's 
Land one night, I was hit on the leg just below 
the knee by a piece of a German hand grenade. 
The piece that hit me must have struck on a 
flat side, and moreover the force of the blow 
was broken by the buckles of my high boots, 
and so only a bruise resulted. It made me limp 
a good deal, however, and I had quite a time 
getting back to our trench. 

I have had more exciting aiid interesting ex- 
periences than I could describe in a hundred 
letters. There are many things that are not 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 257 

unpleasant after one gets used to them, and 
many that are unspeakably monotonous under 
any circumstances. However, it's all in the 
game, and the game is bound to end some day. 
The evening is passing quickly and I must 
soon turn in. 

With love to Mildred and the children, 

As ever, 

Cliff. 

France, December 22, 1916. 
Dearest Mother, 

Nearly Christmas time again. I hope every- 
thing will be pleasant and everybody happy at 
home on Christmas Day. Out here we have 
made elaborate preparations for a fine Christ- 
mas Dinner for the men on December 25, and 
for the officers three days later. You may be 
sure it will be a memorable day for most of 
them. For some it is the second Christmas in 
France, the third away from home. 

At present I am not with the Battalion, but 
am in charge of a party doing some work quite 
a distance from the Battalion. We are billeted 
in a very squalid little village in a very pretty 
little valley. The men of my party are the 
only troops in the village. I have a large room 
in a farm house with a bed — the first real bed I 



258 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

have slept in since I came to France. During 
the few days of my sojourn here I am as in- 
dependent as a Colonel in command of a bat- 
talion, and am enjoying being the boss for a 
change. I am hoping to have motor lorries to 
take us back to the Battalion for Christmas 
Day. 

I took a great responsibility upon myself 
to-night. The cooks of my party are rather in- 
experienced. They have on hand to-night 
some fresh vegetables, some tins of baked 
beans, and some tins of Macconachie (tinned 
Irish stew). The two latter require to be 
heated only before being eaten, while the vege- 
tables (turnips and cabbage) of course require 
a thorough cooking. We have no facilities for 
cooking the three things separately, so I have 
told the cooks to cook the vegetables, and then 
add both the beans and the Macconachie. They 
are very unwilling to mix the three ingredients 
in this manner, but I cannot see why the result 
should not be very good indeed. As I do not 
want to have a sick party on my hands, I am 
waiting anxiously for the result of the experi- 
ment. 

Please, mother, be very careful in the selec- 
tions you make from my letters to send around 
to the different members of the family. Lots 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 259 

of things that I write, for one reason or an- 
other, I would rather not have sent around. I 
leave it all to "y^^^ superior judgment" — to 
use one of your own expressions. 

With much love, mother darling, 

Clifford. 

Molly Darling, 

Just a short note for yourself. Don't be 
worrying about me, and getting tired. I like 
to think that you are happy and that things 
are going well at home. I am perfectly well, 
and would be perfectly happy, except for being 
a little homesick sometimes, if I thought you 
were all well and happy at home. 

I have not been in action lately, and may not 
be for some time. So cheer up. The favourite 
song with the men at present is: "Pack all your 
troubles in your old kit bag, and Smile, Smile, 
Smile." That's what we try to do, and I hope 
you do too. I will be home again before very 
long, and will want a hot bath as soon as I get 
there. 

Good-bye, mother dearest. 
With lots of love. 

Your son, 

Clifford. 



260 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

Christmas Day, 1916, France, 
Dearest Mother, 

My first and I trust my last Christmas in 
France ! INIay the war be over next year, and 
the whole family together once more when 
Christmas 1917 shall arrive. 

I am home in spirit to-day and can picture 
the various happenings. I hope you are having 
a goose for dinner, and bread sauce, and plum 
pudding, and that your famous red cherries 
are in evidence (the ones you won't let us eat) . 
It is Rae's turn to distribute the presents. 
Next year I shall take that duty upon myself. 

I am in safe and comfortable surroundings 
to-day, as I told you in a letter some time ago, 
I expected to be. I am sorrj^ to have to be 
away from home on Christmas Day, but glad 
that I was able to come over here. 

With oceans of love, Molly dear, 

Clifford. 

P. S. Your letter of December 1, and fa- 
ther's card, reached me last night — Christmas 
Eve. 

I do not think I can get any more of the 
photos I had taken when on the machine-gun 
course, but I shall be going on leave soon and 
shall have some more nice cheap ones taken. 

Cliff. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 261 

Dec. 25, 1916, 
My dear Rae, 

Just a note to thank you for the two Mun- 
sey Magazines which you sent and for two or 
three other books which arrived in the same 
mail. I refer to "Daniel Deronda," "Baron 
Miinchausen," and "Woodstock." I believe 
you sent them all. Thanks very much. I have 
read one of the books already, and shall pass 
it on to a friend. The same with the others 
when I finish them. 

I hope you are still fond of your work at the 
library, and that you are enjoying the best 
of health. 

As ever, 

Clifford. 

A Happy Christmas and a Merry New 
Year. 

Write whenever you can. 

December 27. 1916. 
My dear Father, 

I received your most interesting letter of 
Dec. 5th this morning, and was pleased to get 
the news of the church and of yourself. 

Long ago, in a letter, I asked you to make 
a contribution to general church expenses out 



262 MONTRE^VL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

of my assigned pay. Did you receive this let- 
ter? I like to feel that I am doing my bit at 
home as well as out here. 

I wish I were home to enjoy Mr. Reddish's 
oysters. For Mr, Edmonds to send apples to 
Canada is rather like sending coals to New- 
castle. By the way, I sent a Christmas card 
to each of the above. Mr. Edmonds has sent 
me several letters, and JNIr. Reddish has al- 
ways been a friend of mine. 

Along with your letter this morning came 
one from mother written at Knowlton, July 23, 
and one from Ned dated Dec. 6th. You en- 
quire about the various decorations. The Vic- 
toria Cross is of course the highest honour, and 
is awarded without reference to rank for con- 
spicuous bravery under fire. The D. S. O. is 
awarded to officers only, and is, as the name im- 
plies, a recognition of distinguished or efficient 
service, not necessarily under fire or even in the 
field. The D. C. M. is a corresponding deco- 
ration awarded to N. C. O.'s or men. The JNIili- 
tary Cross is a decoration given to officers for 
good work on the field of battle, and the M. M. 
(for N. C. O. and men) is supposed to cor- 
respond to it. Personally, I should consider 
the D. S. O. and D. C. M. higher honours 
than the M. C. and M. M., but many do not 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 263 

think so, as there have been cases where the 
former decorations have been given for work 
performed far out of range of the enemy's 
guns, and apparently of no very great merit. 
The latter implies the recipient's presence on 
the field of battle. To illustrate the difference 
between the two — a Colonel might receive the 
D. S. O. for handling his battalion in an ex- 
ceptionally efficient manner during a battle 
while he himself was in a place of comparative 
safety. A subaltern of my acquaintance re- 
ceived the M. C. for wiping out a German ma- 
chine gun crew single handed. Mutatis mu- 
tandis, the same distinction would apply to D. 
C. M. and M. M. A D. S. O. is higher than 
a D. C. M, and a M. C. than a M. M. only inso- 
far as the work of an officer is of a more diffi- 
cult and responsible nature than that of a Pte. 

I am enjoying a good deal of responsibility 
at present. In the course of a short respite 
from the trenches, I am in charge of a party 
doing some work quite a distance from the bat- 
talion. We are billetted in a little village. We 
are the only troops here. I issue orders every 
night as though I were commanding a bat- 
talion. I have another officer as 2nd in com- 
mand. 

This morning a farmer came to my head- 



264 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

quarters and stated that some of the men were 
engaged in chopping up one of his trees for 
firewood. The tree had been cut down to be 
sawn into planks. I found his story was cor- 
rect, and had to pay for the tree (only 10 
francs) out of my own pocket. I am getting 
even with the men this afternoon. I told them 
that, as they had ruined the tree and made me 
pay for it, they would have to bring it down 
to the billet and cut it all up for firewood for 
the cooks. A dozen men have been working 
for an hour and a half already, and have ad- 
vanced about 100 of the 300 yards they have to 
go. By the time they have finished their job 
they will have learned that they should use a 
good deal of discretion in "rustling" firewood. 

I expect to go on leave shortly after I re- 
turn to the Battalion. When I return to 
France, I shall know exactly what to bring and 
what not to bring. I shall leave a few sou- 
venirs in my trunk in England. The fewer 
things one has to carry the better. 

Wishing you a very happy New Year, I re- 
main, 

Your affectionate son, 

Clifford, 



JANUARY, 1917 

Starting for 10 Days' Leave in England — An Interest- 
ing Naval Surgeon — Visiting in London — A Remark- 
able Experience in No Man's Land — Germans Risk- 
ing Their Lives to Care for Canadian Wounded — 
*'Safe Back in the Trenches" — Ferry Service in a 
Flooded Town. 

Jan. 3, 1917. 
Dearest Molly, 

Just a note to tell you I am going on 10 days' 
leave to England to-morrow. Mere words fail 
to express all that this means after five months 
in France. 

I received two parcels to-night, one contain- 
ing a Balaclava Helmet — just what I needed 
— cake, nail brush, etc., from you, and one from 
Glasgow from the church. Thank you very 
much for yours, Molly. You always send the 
things I want. I was much pleased with the 
little circular in the parcel from the church. It 
is very instructive, and the little photos make 
it attractive. 

Goodnight, Molly dear. I shall write a nice 
long letter from England. 

With love, 

Clifford. 

265 



266 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

January 6, 1917, 
Mother Darling, 

I am in Blighty on leave, and am enjoying 
myself greatly, although I find it just a little 
bit lonely, as I know so few people in England. 
I am thinking of spending a few days of my 
leave in Devon, Cornwall, and that part of the 
country — a region I have long wanted to visit. 

I had a most interesting journey from the 
Battalion to London. I started one evening 
with a small party of men going on leave from 
different battalions. Usually on night marches 
the rear of a party is in danger of getting out 
of touch with the front, but on this occasion 
there was no trouble of that sort. At the en- 
training point I met Higgins, whose Platoon 
Sergeant I used to be. He is now with the 
C. F. A. and was also going on leave. In our 
compartment on the train there were two in- 
fantry officers, one artillery officer, and one 
Royal Flying Corps officer. We had a most 
interesting time discussing our various jobs. 
We entrained at 1 A. M. and reached the port 
of embarkation about 5 o'clock A. M. The 
leave boat sailed about three hours later, and 
made fast time across the Channel. I stayed 
in Folkestone the rest of the day, and visited 



MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 267 

friends in the 11th Reserve Battalion. Last 
night I came on to London. JNIost of the way 
the only other occupant of the compartment 
was a Naval Officer (surgeon). He was one 
of the most interesting men I have ever met, 
a graduate of Edinburgh University, and well 
acquainted, both personally and professionally, 
w^th various men of Johns Hopkins and other 
American and Canadian JNIedical Schools. He 
had been entertained by President Wilson at 
Princeton, and had travelled widely in Amer- 
ica. In the Xavy, he had been all over the 
world. His experiences in the navy were in- 
tensely interesting. His ship goes to sea for 
sixty days at a time, and is not allowed to re- 
turn to port under any circumstances during 
that period. This is contrary to the practice 
of the other European navies, which allow their 
ships to return to port to escape the worst of 
the winter gales, and which do not send them 
out when the weather is too bad. He explained 
various points about naval gunnery which had 
puzzled me, and many other things which I 
had never thought of. On my side, I was able 
to tell him about life in the trenches. Time 
passed quickly, and we were soon at Charing 
Cross. Last night I had a Turkish bath, and 



268 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

SO I feel quite clean for the first time in 
months. 

To-day I spent in making various purchases 
for myself, and in executing a few commis- 
sions for some of those whom I left behind in 
France. 

I wrote to you on Dec. 30, but I have just 
found the letter which I had forgotten to post. 
In it I acknowledged receipt of an exception- 
ally nice box from Glasgow from you. Just 
before I left France, a similar box from the 
church arrived. I also spoke of having re- 
ceived a letter from "Gretchen Somerville 
Jones," apparently a second cousin. It was 
written July 16. She spoke of her mother hav- 
ing just returned from visiting you. I sent a 
note in reply. 

My letters are written on all sorts and shapes 
of paper. If they do not fit in the portfolio 
in which you keep them, I shall try to secure 
greater uniformity. Usually it is difficult to 
get good note paper, and I have to use what- 
ever is available. 

Good night, mother dear. I hope everything 
is going well with you. 

Clifford. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 269 

January 6, 1917. 
My DEAR Father, 

I received your letter of Dec. 11 just be- 
fore leaving France, and thank you for for- 
warding the wedding invitation. 

I have been receiving with more or less regu- 
larity the Montreal Standard and the N, Y, 
Times which you send me. I am glad to have 
them. More than once I have recognised 
places pictured in the pictorial section of the 
Standard, I enjoy many of the Times' ar- 
ticles, too. The papers are passed on when I 
have read them. 

I have also received some Literary Digests 
from you, for which I thank you. Since re- 
ceiving the last one from you, Emma has writ- 
ten me that she is giving me a subscription to 
the Literary Digest for the New Year. If you 
will continue to send me the N. Y. Times, and 
the Standard, I shall be able to keep well in 
touch with trans- Atlantic events. 

I was much pleased to hear of the success 
of the every member canvass of which you 
spoke in your letter. It is a splendid response 
for war-time. I hope with you that there will 
soon be evidence of a general eagerness to un- 
dertake the building of a new church. 



270 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

This reminds me of the naval surgeon of 
whom I speak in my letter to mother. He was 
apparently one of the most eminent sm-geons 
in the Naval Medical Service, and a man of 
great experience and intelligence. Speaking 
of the capture of Roger Casement led to a dis- 
cussion of the state of Ireland. He told me 
some things about the state of the peasants 
there which were almost incredible. When I 
asked him the reason, he put a great part of 
the blame on the priests and their meddling in 
politics, or rather their control of politics. He 
was of the opinion that the interference of the 
church with affairs of state was a great mis- 
take. Imagine my surprise at learning a lit- 
tle later that he was a Roman Catholic. I 
remarked that the separation of church and 
state was an unusual doctrine for a Catholic 
to hold to. He admitted this, but said that 
his opinion was based on his own observations 
in different countries, and that he was in fa- 
vour of absolute separation of church and state 
in England and everywhere else. Sound Bap- 
tist doctrine from a Scotch Roman Catholic! 
Your affectionate son, 

Clifford. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 271 

January 14, 1917. 
Mother Darling, 

Early to-morrow morning I leave for 
France again. My ten days have passed very 
quickly and happily, although it is not like a 
visit home. When I am "safe back in the 
trenches" again, I will write and tell you about 
my leave. 

In one of my letters a long time ago, I spoke 
of a remarkable experience which I had. 
Briefly, it was this. I met a German in No 
Man's Land one morning. He was a stretcher 
bearer and carried a Red Cross Flag. He was 
out on the same errand as I — looking for 
wounded. He offered to guide me to a num- 
ber of "verwundete Englander," lying in vari- 
ous shell holes. He did so, and I got a stretcher 
party (six men) and brought them all in — 
nearly twenty in all, — with the assistance of 
five other German stretcher bearers. The Ger- 
mans brought the wounded to a point about 
midway between the lines, and my men car- 
ried them the rest of the way. Sometimes I 
had a German and a Canadian carrying a 
stretcher between them. When all the wounded 
in sight had been brought in, the Germans re- 
turned to their trench and we to ours. All 



272 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

the while the German Artillery and ours were 
pounding away, and we were really safer be- 
tween the lines than in either. The Germans 
lent me one of their stretchers, on which we 
brought in a wounded man, and then returned 
it to them. The German in charge told me 
he was an Alsatian, which spoke volumes. He 
belonged to the Medical Corps, and hence was 
a non-combatant, I presume. When no other 
Germans were around, he would speak to me 
in French. He did not speak English at all. 
The skill of the Germans in binding up the 
wounded, their strength and endurance in the 
exhausting work of carrying stretchers over 
ground which was one mass of shell-holes, and 
their quiet disregard of stray shells and the 
possibility of being sniped from our lines, com- 
manded my highest admiration. I asked them 
how long the war would last. One said two 
years, one nine months, the rest about a year. 
They seemed to think they would not be 
defeated. They said their dressing-stations 
would be unable to cope with the number of 
wounded and besides that our artillery fire was 
so terrific they could not take out the wounded. 
They treated me with great respect, calling me 
"Herr Leutnant." We saluted before part- 
ing. Various other details of the incident I 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 273 

shall give you when I return home. One of 
my men was slightly wounded by a piece of 
shrapnel, otherwise we had no casualties. The 
wounded men whom we brought in had all been 
lying out there for three days. 

For various reasons, I do not want you to 
say much about this incident, — at least outside 
of the immediate family. It all happened 
months ago. The courage and humanity of 
the Germans under the circumstances was very 
remarkable. They risked their lives to rescue 
our wounded, when they could not even make 
prisoners of them, and at a time when our 
bombardment of their positions passed descrip- 
tion. I have very special reasons for not want- 
ing you to say much about the occurrence, but 
thought that, as I had alluded to it in a letter 
at the time, you would be interested to learn 
what happened. 

I must close now, Molly. 

With much love, 

Clifford. 



274 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

Jan. 16, 1917. 
My dear Rae, 

I have received your letter of December 27, 
your Christmas card, and your tin of candy. 
Thank you very much for remembering me so 
well. The candy is delicious. I enjoyed the 
book by Marchant which you sent some time 
ago. 

I hope you had a pleasant trip to the capital 
of Canada. I have just returned from a most 
enjoyable visit to the capital of the Empire. 
And now both of us have to settle down to 
hard work again. 

The mail closes this evening and so I must 
close too. 

Wishing you a very happy New Year, I re- 
main. 

Your affectionate brother, 

Clifford. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 275 

January 17, 1917, 
Mother Darling, 

An old lady said to her son as he was re- 
turning from leave, "Write and let me know 
when you are safe back in the trenches." I am 
safe back — not in the trenches, but in billets 
with the Battalion. The interesting thing is 
that I am not going to stay here long, but am 
to be sent on a month's course very soon. This 
will supply some deficiencies in my training, 
and besides is quite an honour. Just before I 
went away, the subalterns were given a long 
list of questions on tactics, etc., to answer. It 
was on the basis of my answers that I was se- 
lected for the course — not as needing it most, 
but as being qualified for an advanced course 
of general training. If the time ever comes 
for me to be promoted, I shall be better quali- 
fied as the result of this course. 

When I left this town to go on leave, part 
of the town had been under water for some 
days, owing to the overflowing of the river. A 
company of Engineers got out their pontoons 
and ran a ferry service down one of the main 
streets where the water was from four to ten 
feet deep. Many of the civilians were confined 
to the second story of their houses, and some 



276 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

of the troops had to move out of their billets 
into others farther up the hill. When I got 
back from leave the water had subsided; and 
had left a thick deposit of mud everywhere. 

In England I had a delightful rest. I visited 
Mrs. Wigfield a couple of times. She always 
makes me feel at home. London had changed 
very little since I was last there. The only evi- 
dences of food shortage were a slight stinginess 
in the allowance of sugar at restaurants and a 
restriction in the number of courses which of- 
ficers are allowed to order for a meal in a 
restaurant or hotel. 

You had better address letters which you 
post before Feb. 10 to Lieut. C. A. Wells (8th 
Can. Inf. Bat.), Care of First Army School 
of Instruction, A. P. O. 3, France. 

This will cause them to reach me more 
promptly. 

Things are going well. There is nothing 
much of interest to tell you. 

With much love, 

Clifford. 

This peculiar notepaper is the only kind I 
could buy here. I have received the Standard 
of Dec. 16 and Dec. 9, also the N. Y. Times of 
Dec. 10, for which please thank father. 



MOXTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOXD 277 

Januanj 2 A, 1017. 
Dearest ^Mother, 

I am at the school of which I spoke in my 
last letter. I left the Battalion one night at 
7.30, and had a ride of about an hour. It was 
pitch dark and the horse kept slipping on the 
patches of ice in the road, and people on foot 
kept popping out of the darkness right under 
the horse's nose all the time, so that I was quite 
relicYcd when that part of the journey was 
OYcr. Then a ride of an hour and a half in a 
bus brought me to the railway station. The 
train was ten hours late, and then took 12 hours 
for a fiYC hour journey. Finally another bus 
ride brought me to the school, where I was 
speedily assigned to a comfortable billet, and 
had a good sleep. I am enjoying the work. I 
am outdoors all day. The preliminary work 
is of an elementary nature, but later on we 
shall haYe manoeuYres and other exercises on 
a large scale. The weather at present is like 
Canadian winter weather, — cold and clear. 

]My instructor is a Captain of the Irish 
Rifles. His nationality is proclaimed by the 
shamrock on his collar, the harp on his cap, and 
the brogue on his tongue. I like him very 



278 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

much, which is fortunate, as I shall be under 
his instruction for a month or more. 

I hope you are well, mother dear, and that 
everything is "jake" at home. "Jake" is the 
ordinary expression in the Canadian Army for 
"all right" or "correct." It comes from the 
far west, but I do not know its origin. 

With much love, 

Clifford. 



FEBRUARY, 1917 

The American Declaration of War — The First B. E. F. 
— Memories of London — ^A Narrow Gauge Car Line 
at Boulogne — Description of a Visit to the Front Line 
— A Peaceful and Luxurious Kind of Warfare — 
Silent German Guns. 

February 4, 1917, 
My dear Father, 

I have two of your letters to answer — dated 
Jan. 4 and Jan. 9. The Standard and A^. Y, 
Times are reaching me fairly regularly, and 
are always appreciated when they come. 

We are not often near the 60th Battalion, 
which is in a different division, and so I have 
never met Major Ralston. If ever I have a 
chance I shall look him up. 

I am still at the school of which I spoke in 
a previous letter, so have little news to give. 
They keep us pretty busy here, but the work 
is varied, and the instructors are considerate; 
so it is really a pleasant change from "up the 
line." The officers in charge are old Regular 
officers, and things are run like clockwork, not 
a moment of the day wasted. You will find me 

279 



280 MONTREAL TO YIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

a very business-like person when the war is 
over. 

Rumours have reached us that the U. S. A. 
has declared war on Germany. It is hard to 
believe, following so close upon President Wil- 
son's "Peace without victory" speech, although 
Germany's latest must be enough to rouse even 
the average American. Personally, I sincerely 
hope the States will take no active part in the 
war. As they have kept out of it so long, let 
them know that we can finish our undertaking 
without their help. On the other hand, I should 
like to see them disgorge some of the wealth 
they have acquired since the beginning of the 
war. Possibly Germany will lie down after 
gaining the hostility of the whole world. She 
must realise that she is in for a terrible thrash- 
ing this summer. The preparations for this 
year's campaign are stupendous. The stores 
of ammunition are colossal, and the reserves 
of men very great. There will be such fight- 
ing as the world never saw before. 

I am very glad, — more so than I can tell, 
— that I enlisted when I did. It seemed at 
the time as though the war had been going on 
for a long while. I have a high respect for 
the men who came out before me, and went 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 281 

through the second battle of Ypres, and Giv- 
enchy, and other "shows" in which the Cana- 
dians took part. The first B. E. F. is a tra- 
dition out here. No finer body of men, no 
better trained or better disciplined troops, ever 
fought anywhere. Still, the majority of the 
officers of my Battalion at the present time 
came to France after I did, and most of them 
left Canada months after me, so that I am 
quite an old timer in comparison with most of 
them. I have moreover had some exception- 
ally interesting experiences since I have been 
out. One of them I described in a recent let- 
ter. How many things I shall have to tell you 
when I get home ! 

Early rising is compulsory here, and I find 
early going to bed advisable. So as it is nearly 
ten o'clock, I had better close. 

Your affectionate son, 

Clifford. 

I was very sorry to hear of the death of 
Elliot Scott at Courcellette. I was in the place 
shortly after its capture. My friend Harvey 
was also killed near there. 



(Note by O. C. S. W. Harvey, Millet and Wells were 
the three sergeants of the 4th University Company who 
were promoted to Lieutenancies the last of January, 
1916.) 



282 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

Feb, 6, 1917, 
Mother Darling, 

I have received your letter of January 3, and 
also two boxes. One of the latter contained 
some delicious shortcake, which I enjoyed very 
much. The other held a fruit cake, scarf, choco- 
late, and other nice things. There was in it 
a card with the name Mrs. GrafFtey. This 
has puzzled me. I do not know how much or 
what part of the contents is from her, and so 
I cannot very well write and thank her. I 
might thank her for the wrong things. The 
box was evidentl}^ from you, and I thank you 
very much for it. I love to get things from 
you. If you will tell me what Mrs. GraiFtey 
contributed, I shall write to her. The card was 
dislocated from its place as I opened the box, 
and so I cannot tell what it went with. By the 
way, who is Mrs. GrafFtey? The nearest I 
can come to it is Virginia Graef. 

My mail is somewhat delayed owing to my 
being away from the Battalion. The only let- 
ter from you which has reached me here as yet 
is that of Jan. 3. I am hoping for some more 
this evening. 

Wednesday afternoon, Saturday afternoon, 
and Sunday are holidays here at the school. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 283 

This afternoon (Wednesday) I have been sit- 
ting by the stove in the mess, reading, studying, 
and dozing. We have just had afternoon tea. 
I made some toast at the fire, and enjoyed it. 
I make very good toast. 

You ask about London. The streets are 
very dark at night. Few street lights are in 
use, and those that are, are very dim. I did 
not see any luminous hats, but some men and 
women wear luminous buttons on their lapels, 
and so avoid colliding with other pedestrians. 
In the daytime things look much as they used 
to. Museums and picture galleries are mostly 
closed, but restaurants and places of amuse- 
ment are open. Taxicabs and busses are less 
numerous than they used to be, restaurants are 
stingy with their sugar, officers can order only 
2-course breakfasts and luncheons, and 3-course 
dinners. Many hotels have been taken over 
by the government for various purposes. The 
most striking difference from pre-war condi- 
tions is of course the darkness of the streets 
at night. Automobiles, busses, etc., carry very 
dim lights. So traffic is really dangerous at 
night. 

Last Saturday afternoon I went into Bou- 
logne, about 10 miles away. There is a funny 
little narrow gauge electric car line running 



284 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

ino As the car was going up a long hill, we 
came to a place where, for some reason which 
Ned could explain, it was necessary to pull the 
trolley off the w^ire and coast past a certain 
contrivance on the wire. The conductorette 
pulled the trolley down too soon, and the car, 
which was crowded, stopped before crossing the 
dead spot in the wire, and immediately started 
backwards down the hill. The trolley sw^ung 
out to one side, and the woman was too ex- 
cited to pull it in, so it came in contact with a 
telegraph post and doubled up into a bow. 
Finally some of the officers on the trailer 
manned the brakes and succeeded in stopping 
the car. The motor man and the conductor- 
woman argued for 10 minutes as to who was 
to blame, and then proceeded to take the trol- 
ley pole off*. About a dozen of us managed to 
straighten it out in about half an hour, and then 
we proceeded again. The car was so heavily 
loaded that the brakes controlled by the mo- 
torman were not sufficient to check its speed 
going down hill, and we had a most exciting 
trip. A couple of officers manned the brakes 
on the trailer, but even so we went down-hill 
at a tremendous speed, and barely crawled up 
hill. In town I had a nice hot bath, hair cut, 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 285 

etc., and we came back to the school without ad- 
venture. 

The cake of carbolic soap arrived O. K., and 
may be useful in the future. I have no im- 
mediate need for it, I am glad to say. 

There is no real news in this letter. It is 
just a little chat with you, Molly dear. Lots 
of love, Clifford. 

February 18, 1917, 
Dearest Mother, 

I have four of your letters to answer. One 
is that of Aug. 9, — the one that was returned 
from the Dead Letter Office. The others are 
dated December 29, January 18, and January 
25. In one of them you ask about the result 
of mixing the various rations together in one 
grand stew. I had forgotten the incident, but 
remember now that it was a great success. 
Every one enjoyed the conglomeration, and no 
one was sick. 

The work at the school is very interesting. 
It is just the kind of course I needed. Most 
of my military training, except for special 
Bombing and Machine-gun courses, has con- 
sisted of practical experience. Experience is 
a good teacher, but I am always interested in 
the theory of things, and can do the practical 



286 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

things better when I understand their theo- 
retical side. (This is not a good sentence.) 

I received a long letter from Emma a few 
days ago. She always writes interesting let- 
ters. 

After some weeks of cold weather a thaw 
has come, and the snow is fast disappearing. 
This is a very pretty part of the country. 
There are pine forests all around us. The 
school is located on what was a famous golf 
links before the war. There is an interesting 
old chateau — once a strong fortress — the ruins 
of which I pass every day. 

I hope you are well, and taking good care 
of yourself. Don't work too hard. 
With much love, 

Clifford. 

February 27, 1917. 
Mother Darling, 

Here I am safe back with the Battalion 
again. I found it in a new part of the line, 
where I have never been before. I am staying 
out of the trenches this trip, but paid a visit 
to the front line to-day, where I was con- 
ducted around by one of my brother officers. 
In general, I feel it to be so hopeless to try to 
describe what "the front" is like, that I sel- 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 287 

dom attempt it. It occurs to me that to relate 
just what I saw and heard to-day would be 
interesting to you. As we do not expect to go 
into this immediate frontage next time, I was 
able to look at things to-day from a more de- 
tached, non-professional point of view than I 
usually can, — ^more as a war correspondent 
might, — to disregard essential details such as 
the exact number of sentries, dugouts, bomb- 
ing posts, saps, etc., and to look at the war 
generally as a spectator and not as a partici- 
pant. 

About 9 o'clock I left the village where I am 
billetted with a few other officers who are hav- 
ing their turn "out of the trenches," and pro- 
ceeded toward the front line three miles away. 
With regard to the village, in spite of its close- 
ness to the line, and in spite of the fact that it 
bristles with artillery which fires every night, 
it is remarkable that it is full of civilian inhabi- 
tants. Fritz used to shell it, but does so very 
seldom now. He has no direct observation on 
it, and apparently does not wish to waste shells 
when he cannot observe their exact effect. 

As I left the village, I found it protected by 
barbed wire and trenches. As I proceeded 
down the road, occasional shells whistled over- 
head toward Fritz. I walked down the road. 



288 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

as I saw others doing so ahead of me, although 
a winding communication trench led from the 
outskirts of the village to the front line. After 
about half an hour's walk, as I neared the 
crest of a slight ridge, I entered the trench, 
as I saw the others doing. Soon I was in the 
dugout where my Company had its Headquar- 
ters. The Company was "in support," in the 
support trench a quarter of a mile behind the 
front line. I stayed there till about one o'clock, 
learning what had happened during my ab- 
sence and talking about my course. Then, 
after lunch, I went up to the front line with 
one of the officers. 

The most interesting feature about the bat- 
talion frontage is that it runs through what 
was once a village. There are ruined houses 
behind our trenches, in No Man's Land, and 
behind the German lines. Every building 
whch might have given good observation has 
been levelled by artillery fire, but some houses 
of no tactical importance are intact, on both 
sides of the line. The men had brought stoves, 
etc., from these houses and had made their 
dugouts quite comfortable. 

Behind the German lines a few miles away, 
there is a city, apparently inhabited and doing 
business. With the aid of glasses, I was able 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 289 

to make out the time, — ten minutes to two, — on 
a clock on the tower in the centre of the city. 
Our artilleiy had been firing intermittently 
all morning, with no response from the Ger- 
mans. During the afternoon the liveliness in- 
creased, and large shells threw showers of dirt 
and bricks into the air behind the German line. 
Also our trench mortars started to cut the Ger- 
man wire. I spent a quarter of an hour watch- 
ing a trench mortar battery at work. Two 
men worked the gun, while a third observed the 
burst of the shells and gave instructions as to 
range and direction. Still Fritz showed prac- 
tically no signs of life. Only by a very occa- 
sional trench mortar bomb did he show that his 
trenches were not deserted. Every now and 
then a sniper's bullet would whiz one way or 
the other, or a machine gun from some well 
concealed position would fire a few rounds at 
some point behind the line where there might 
be a target. 

Half a dozen aeroplanes were in sight, — all 
British and all flying over the German lines as 
though they had nothing to fear. When one 
would get too far back or too low, the German 
Anti- Aircraft guns would open up, and the 
sky would be dotted with puffs of black smoke.. 
Then often the plane would take refuge in a 



290 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

cloud, and emerge flying in a different direc- 
tion, and the German gunners would have to 
correct their range and elevation again. Not 
a single German aeroplane appeared all after- 
noon. 

About five o'clock, I came back to my bil- 
let, where now, after supper, I am sitting by 
a grate fire writing by gas light. And within 
three or four miles of the Germans! This is 
the most peaceful and luxurious kind of war- 
fare ! The people of the village work in nearby 
coal mines. Every morning they go to work 
regularly, as though there were no war on. 

I have your letter of Jan. 22, and father's 
of Jan. 18. I did not receive any mail ad- 
dressed by you to the school. When I said to 
address letters written before Feb. 10 to the 
school, I thought I was going to be there a 
week longer than I was. 

Our artillery is making night hideous as 
usual, and Fritz is not replying. I should not 
like to be a German these days. It is most 
demoralising to be shelled without hearing 
one's own guns replying. 

I met Higgins to-day. His battery is 
nearby. 

I hope this letter will prove a little more in- 
teresting than usual. There is so much to de- 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 291 

scribe, and it is so hard to describe anything 
without violating the censorship regulations, 
that often I can say very little except that I 
am well and "carrying on." 

I think a visit with Emma would do you 
good. Take care of yourself, mother, for my 
sake. We could not get on without you. 
With much love, 

Clifford. 
P. S. I should be glad to receive a couple 
of pairs of socks and some handkerchiefs. 
P. P. S. I have just learned that one of the 
officers here used to be in the Navy. I have 
asked him about the life of a seaman. He is 
most enthusiastic, thinks it the most healthful 
and beneficial life imaginable. But my own 
nautical experience, what I have seen of ordi- 
nary seamen, and what I know of C 's 

tastes and abilities, lead me to believe that he 
would not enjoy it at all, at all. Why does he 
not try the A, S. C? He might get into the 
mechanical transport section, and drive a lorrie, 
or an ambulance, or a general's car. Or, if 
not in the M. T. Section, there must be many 
branches of the A. S. C. where his knowledge 
of office work would be useful. If he were in 
the M. T. Section, he might find it a stepping 
stone into the R. F. C. 



MARCH, 1917 

Pancakes and Maple Syrup in the Front Line Trenches 
— The Padre's Voice Drowned by the Noise of Guns 
— Second Birthday in the Army — Nervous Germans — 
The Cheese-cloth Shirt— The Beauty of Air Fights— 
"It Takes a Plane to Bring Down a Plane" — No Food 
Shortage at the Front. 

March 12, 1917. 
Dearest Mother, 

I have your letter of Jan. 7, and two lovely 
parcels, to acknowledge. The maple syrup 
was a great success. We had pancakes and 
maple syrup in the front line trenches. I 
should be very pleased to have that order re- 
peated. In the other parcel dated Feb. 1st, 
there was a delicious cake. All the small ar- 
ticles were appreciated. I know you want me 
to tell you which things I really want you to 
send me, and so I will say that I have lost my 
taste for chocolate, which can be obtained over 
here, and that shaving soap lasts a long time, 
and I have quite a supply on hand at present. 
Hand soap, tooth brushes, tooth paste, I am al- 
ways glad to get. By the way, the parcel with 
the grape nuts has not yet arrived. 

292 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 293 

You ask what to send to my platoon. There 
is nothing I can think of just now. If any- 
thing occurs to me, I shall be glad to let you 
know. 

One Saturday night recently we came out 
of the front line trenches. We reached our 
billets at 2.15 A. M. Sunday. Hot tea was 
ready for all the men, and for the officers. We 
were wet, muddy, and tired, and soon were en- 
joying a sound peaceful sleep. At 2 o'clock 
Sunday afternoon, we had a church parade. 
We have a new padre, and he gave us a splen- 
did sermon. This was the first church service 
I had attended with the battalion for months, 
and I enjoyed it very much. Usually we seem 
to be in the line on Sundays, when, of course, 
a church service is impracticable. On this oc- 
casion, there were times when the sound of the 
nearby guns drowned the padre's voice. 

I am glad you like your gloves. I meant 
them all for you, and got two or three sizes so 
as to have one pair fit you. I hope they are 
not all too large. 

I am writing this letter in bed by candle- 
light. By the way I am always glad to find 
candles in my parcels. We are in billets at 
present. 

It did not occur to me until this evening that 



294 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

to-day is my birthday — my second birthday in 
the army. My next birthday will find me at 
home, I trust. Our summer offensive, I am 
sure, will place the result of the war beyond 
the shadow of a doubt. The preparations are 
on a scale inconceivably great. 

Well, good night, mother dear, with lots of 
love, 

Clifford. 

I am enclosing a clipping from a recent Lit- 
erary Digest, The Clark referred to is one of 
the famous characters of the original 8th. 

March 13. I have opened the letter to say 
that your parcel of Feb. 9 has arrived — the 
cake is delicious — much enjoyed by all. 

March 13, 1917. 
My dear George, 

Your letter of Feb. 11th has arrived. I 
wrote to Mildred acknowledging receipt of the 
parcel referred to in your letter, and explain- 
ing my previous mistaken acknowledgment 
thereof. Miss Ward's chocolates, I am sorry 
to say, have never arrived. Please tell her 
that I appreciate her kindness in sending them, 
and am sorry they did not turn up. 

Congratulations on my little niece! I hope 
to see her and the other children some day. I 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 295 

envy you your peaceful congenial employment. 
I am beginning to get tired of patrols, and 
raids, sniping and bombardments, trench-mor- 
tars, H. E. and shrapnel. I shall be glad when 
the time comes to return to regular hours and 
peaceful occupations. 

There are numerous signs that the Germans 
are very nervous. A few rifle shots and a 
couple of bombs thrown by a patrol in No 
Man's Land on a recent night caused Fritz to 
send up dozens of S. O. S. rockets. His artil- 
lery opened up in a very ragged fashion at first, 
and ours retaliated. An intense bombardment 
raged for an hour, in which hundreds of thou- 
sands of dollars' worth of ammunition must 
have been expended — all due to the fact that 
Fritz is so easily scared into the belief that 
he is being attacked. I am convinced that this 
summer will see the beginning of the end. 

I have to get up early to-morrow and so will 
close now. Give my love to Mildred. I hope 
you are both well. As ever, 

Clifford. 

March 14tK 1917. 
My DEAR George, 

Just a note to tell you that a box of most 
delicious chocolates has arrived this afternoon. 



296 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

Presumably they are Miss Ward's, which I 
told you in my letter of yesterday had not ar- 
rived. The Oberlin postmark is Feb. 19th, so 
they really did not take long in coming. Was 
there a previous parcel to this ? Every one has 
voted the chocolates most delicious and they 
are disappearing like wildfire. Please thank 
Miss Ward very kindly on behalf of two Ma- 
jors and half a dozen Subalterns of the C. E. 
F., including myself. I would write to her, 
but find I have mislaid the address. 

Things are going on as usual, and I am quite 
well. 

Love to Mildred and the children. Write 
soon, 

Clifford. 

March 26, 1917. 
Dearest Mother, 

Your letters of February 14 and 21, and fa- 
ther's of February 22 and 24, have arrived, 
also six Standards and N. Y. Times, The 
mails have been irregular of late, and for about 
two weeks I received no mail at all. 

The watch protector to which you refer has 
not arrived. It should prove useful as I am 
continually banging my watch. In fact, it is 
in England undergoing repairs at the present 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 297 

moment. I have the cheese cloth shirt, and 
will wear it the next time I go in the line. I 
have only been "lousy" (I do not know any 
other way to express it) once — some months 
ago, but one has to be careful all the time in 
dugouts in the trenches. Please tell Ned I 
have received, and thank him for, the book by 
H. G. Wells, "The Country of the Blind." I 
have sent him a Field Post Card in acknowl- 
edgment of it. I am well supplied with read- 
ing matter for my leisure hours now. I am 
still reading "Charles O'Malley," and enjoy- 
ing it very much. All my books are read by 
two or three others besides myself. Your socks 
are just the right length. In the trenches I 
wear leather boots which reach to the knee, 
and I like to wear long socks with them. 

We have been having a mixture of spring 
and winter weather lately, — first two or three 
days of bright spring weather, and then a day 
or two of frost, sleet or rain. To-day it is 
raining hard, but a couple of sunny days will 
make a great difference in the state of the 
country. 

I have seen aozens of fights in the air in the 
last three weeks. It is a beautiful sight to see 
the planes manoeuvring in the air like two 
hawks, and to hear the puff, puff, pufF of their 



298 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

machine guns, the sound of which is softened 
by distance. Each plane tries to get above the 
other, so as to swoop down upon it. It is al- 
most impossible for one plane to see another, 
which gets between it and the sun. Often I 
have seen a plane, — British, French, or Ger- 
man, — engaged in taking photographs or ob- 
serving artillery fire suddenly brought down by 
a hostile plane which swooped down on it out 
of the clouds. When a German plane comes 
over our lines, — which is comparatively seldom, 
— the anti-aircraft guns open up, and soon the 
sky is dotted with scores or even hundreds of 
white puffs of smoke where the shells burst. 
The Germans use shells which give big puffs 
of black smoke. I have rarely seen an aero- 
plane brought down by artillery fire alone. 
Usually it takes a plane to bring down a plane. 

I hope you had a pleasant time with Emma, 
and found her well again. 

Your loving son, 

Clifford. 

I have reopened this letter to say that your 
birthday parcel of Feb. 21 has arrived. It 
contains many useful things, — a book "Cyrano 
de Bergerac" with "Mrs. J. S. Thomson" writ- 
ten on the fly leaf. Please thank her for me. 
The watch cover is also enclosed, and will be 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 299 

useful, also soap, shaving powder, etc. Your 
sending sardines and sugar leads me to sup- 
pose you believe that we are suffering from 
lack of food. This is not so at all. We live 
very well in our company Mess. The food 
shortage does not affect us, Molly, so do not 
trouble to send me food. Thanks very much 
for everything. Your parcels always contain 
things that I need, and I know you want me to 
mention it when I receive something I do not 
need. 

With much love. 

Cliff. 



APRIL, 1917 

Asking His Batman if He "Could Ride"— Writing 11 
Days After the Taking of Vimy Ridge — Luxurious 
German Dugouts — A Flock of Dragons — The Fare- 
well Message. 

April 3, 1917. 
My Dear Rae, 

I received your parcel safely two days ago, 
and was much pleased with the contents. The 
candy was delicious, and the precipitated chalk 
and other articles will be useful. The little 
candles were suggestive of Christmas tree deco- 
rations, but gave quite a good light. 

Has spring arrived yet in Westmount? 1 
wish it would come out here. Two days ago 
we had quite a severe snow and sleet storm. 
The mud out here beats anything you ever saw, 
and gives a lot of trouble to the poor horses 
and mules. I shall be very glad when things 
dry up, even if the weather gets warm. 

I hope you are keeping well, and still enjoy 
your work at the library. Write soon to 
Your affectionate brother, 

Clifford. 

300 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 301 

April 5th, 1917. 
Mother Darling, 

I have your letter of February 1st, and also 
the one begun February 6th and finished 
March 9th. I wonder if you know how eagerly 
I look for your letters, and how much I prize 
them when they come. They are always in- 
teresting and cheering. 

You must have enjoyed your little rest with 
Emma. She says in her last letter that you are 
looking well, for which I am very thankful. 
I want you to keep well and strong until the 
happy day when I shall return home. 

I have written to Mrs. GrafFtey thanking 
her for the candy, also to Aunt Lale. Victor's 
candy has not arrived, but please thank him 
for sending it, and also Mrs. Barker for the 
socks. By the way, I am almost out of socks 
at present. I wear only one pair at a time, but 
several pairs gave out within a couple of weeks 
not long ago. 

You may be interested to know that most of 
the men in my platoon, as in the rest of the 
Battalion, are farmers, ranchers, cowboys, 
trappers, etc., from the far west and northwest, 
— splendid stalwart men, most of them. Re- 
cently I had occasion to ride a rather restless 



302 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

horse. When I came back, I called for my 
batman to take it to the transport lines. As I 
had never seen him on a horse, I asked if he 
could ride. He said "Yes, sir," and vaulted 
into the saddle. I saw at once that he was a 
perfect horseman. Since then I have learned 
that he is the champion rider of Alberta and 
Saskatchewan and used to be much in demand 
to ride wild horses at "Stampedes" {i, e., horse 
fairs or riding competitions ) in the west. And 
I asked if he could ride! 

There is never much that I can write about, 
and just now there seems less than usual that 
I can tell you, although there is so much news 
in the papers. I met Gordon Crossley a few 
days ago for the first time since leaving home. 
He was looking well. With oceans of love, 
mother darling, 

Clifford. 

'A'pril 20, 1917. 
Dearest Mother, 

So much has happened during the last ten 
days that I have had neither the time nor the 
repose of mind to write a long letter. I sent 
you a field post card ^ the first opportunity I 
had, and now that I am looking forward to a 

^ This field post card was dated April 17th. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 303 

few days' rest, I can write a letter more fully. 

Yes, I was in it! and I am glad and proud 
that I was. You probably know more of the 
success of the great offensive than I do, for 
newspapers are very scarce articles out here 
now. But, on our part of the line, everything 
went smoothly. 

The Huns were completely surprised, 
strange as it seems, and made little resistance. 
Our artillery barrage was wonderful beyond 
description, lifting forward from objective to 
objective with clocklike precision, and practi- 
cally obliterating the German trenches as it 
passed them. The men followed the barrage 
steadily and fearlessly, and prisoners were 
streaming back five minutes after we went 
"over the top." 

Most of the prisoners were entirely cowed, 
and thankful to be prisoners. They worked 
hard carrying in the wounded. One slightly 
wounded officer, however, was very cocky. He 
appeared at the entrance of a dugout as I 
passed. He was very indignant when I had 
him searched for papers, and was furious when 
I sent him back with three of his own men un- 
der a single escort. He actually refused to 
go without his greatcoat, which he had left in 
the dugout 30 feet underground. As we had 



304 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

no time just then to act as valet to Hun offi- 
cers, and, as the exploration of a German dug- 
out requires care, he had perforce to go with- 
out his coat. We had been warned to be on 
our guard against infernal machines in dug- 
outs, but, so sudden was the attack, that the 
Huns had no time to prepare traps for us. 

Some of the German dugouts, especially 
those of the artillery, were wonderfully com- 
fortable. Some had electric lights, arm chairs, 
cupboards, beds with white sheets, etc. These 
were not the front line dugouts of course. An 
hour after the attack, all our men were smok- 
ing Hun cigars, and were laden with souvenirs 
of various sorts. I was fortunate enough to 
secure a pair of field glasses, one of the things 
I have long wanted. 

After we had taken and consolidated our ob- 
jective, fresh troops went through us to cap- 
ture a distant wood. As they pressed on be- 
hind the barrage, which moved forward like a 
flock of dragons, the sky suddenly became 
overcast, and a blizzard raged for a few min- 
utes. That picture is one I shall never forget 
— the dark scarred wood in the distance, the 
line of bursting shells creeping slowly toward 
it, the long lines of khaki figures following the 
barrage, and minding the shells and bullets 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 305 

which thinned their ranks no more than the 
driven snowflakes which overcast the whole 
scene. It is a wonderful picture, and I wish 
I could paint or describe it adequately. 

I came through it all without a scratch. My 
namesake whose initials are C. H. was wounded 
— not dangerously. I trust you were not wor- 
ried when you read his name in the casualty 
lists. 

The Germans must see in this blow the be- 
ginning of the end. It is only a question of 
time before Germany will be defeated on a 
purely military basis, apart from the economic 
stress to which she is subject. The only ques- 
tion is whether her armies will be crushed be- 
fore her economic situation reaches the break- 
ing point or before her people rise in revolt. 

I do not want you to find this an alarming 
or disquieting letter. To me, it is the most 
thrilling letter I have ever written you. I hope 
you will find it the same. The greatest victory 
of the war has been gained, and I had a small 
part in it. 

With greatest love, 

Clifford. 



306 montreal to vimy ridge and beyond 

My darling Mother, 

I am sending this note to George for him to 
give you if I am killed. It is just a last mes- 
sage of love to you, Molly, for I do love you 
more than any one else in the world. You 
have been the best mother I ever knew or heard 
of, and my greatest grief is the sorrow which 
my death will cause you. Please do not grieve 
too much, mother dear. Remember that I died 
doing my duty — the very best I could do for 
the cause which we all believe is right — ^and that 
we shall be together again in heaven, where 
God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. 
God and heaven seem more real here in the 
presence of suffering and death than they ever 
did before. 

Give my love to dear father. He has been 
all that a father could be to me for many years, 
and I am deeply grateful to him. If I had 
lived, I should have striven to be a credit and 
a comfort to him always. 

Emma and George and Ned and Rae and 
Croy — I think very tenderly of all of them, 
and feel that I have not deserved all the love 
which they have manifested toward me. I pray 
every night for their welfare and happiness. 

Molly dear, there is nothing more I can say. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 307 

This is just a message of love and gratitude 
and, I trust, of comfort. Do not grieve, mother 
dear. All is well with me, and we shall meet 
again never to part. 

I pray that you and father may be very 
happy together. May God bless you both in 
your work and in your home life. 

Good-bye, my own darling mother, 

Clifford. 



Our light affliction, which is hut for a mo- 
ment , worketh for us a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory; 

While we look not at the things which are 
seen, hut at the things which are not seen: for 
the things which are seen are temporal; hut 
the things which are not seen are eternal. 



MAY AND JUNE, 1917 

Letters from Fellow-Students Brown, Davis, Chalmers 
— Pi Kappa Chi Memorial Resolutions — Extract from 
a Letter Written by the President of the Baptist 
World Alliance — Letter from a Fellow-Soldier — Let- 
ter from Dr. John Clifford — A Message from Clif- 
ford's Mother. 

LETTERS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PI KAPPA CHI 
FRATERNITY OF JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY 

227 South 41st Street, 
Philadelphia, Pa., 
May 12, 1917. 
Dear Mrs. Wallace, 

I just heard the shocking news of Clifford's 
death this morning from Mrs. Brown in Balti- 
more. While I have realised ever since he 
went to France the fearful risks he was en- 
countering I had confidently expected that he 
would some day return to us. Even now I can 
hardly believe that he has been killed. Both 
Mrs. Brown and I are deeply distressed. We 
sympathise with you in your grief. Of all the 
boys in Baltimore, I think that Walter Sutton, 

308 



MONTREAJL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 309 

Stewart White, and I probably knew Clifford 
best, and perhaps the fact that I lived in the 
fraternity house with him for two years has 
given me a juster appreciation of him than 
either of the others has. During that time I 
came to love him, and, more than that, to ad- 
mire him. His absolute honesty in every re- 
spect, his kindness, his conscientiousness about 
his work, his loyalty to his ideals, his modesty 
of manner, were only some of his praiseworthy 
characteristics. His death on the field of bat- 
tle for the sake of the ideals of humanity was 
quite in keeping with the general nobility of 
his life. I know that he went to war from no 
motive of adventure, but because he felt it his 
duty to do his part in maintaining the cause 
of liberty and righteousness against the forces 
of injustice and oppression. 

Without being at all aware of the fact, he 
has had a large influence in inspiring others to 
the same sort of action. His example has 
stirred the fraternity so deeply that when the 
time came for the boys of the United States 
to offer their services, the active chapter of Pi 
Kappa Chi, with but a very few exceptions, has 
given itself to some form or other of activity 
to aid in the prosecution of the war. I am 
sure that if he had known how much his in- 



310 MONTKEAL TO VI MY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

fluence had been in arousing higher ideals in 
the souls of his friends, he would have felt that 
his sacrifice was not in vain. 

For my part I shall always have the loftiest 
memory of Clifford, who could uncomplain- 
ingly give up a promising career, in which he 
was undoubtedly destined to reach the top, to 
die bravely fighting for the cause of human 
liberty. There are many other people too, I 
am sure, who feel as I do, and you may be sure 
that we all join with you in your sorrow, and 
hope that you may be able to bear it bravely. 

With the deepest sympathy. 
Most sincerely, 

W. Norman Brown. 

Baltimore, Md., 

May 14.1917, 
Dear Dr. Wallace, 

Your telegram and letter advising of 
Clifford's death were both received ; the former 
yesterday afternoon — the latter this morning. 
To say that I was shocked would be putting it 
very mildly. I cannot realise that he is no 
longer with us in the body. The first of my 
University friends to be taken away — and so 
soon. The loss seems even more terrible than 
it would naturally be. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 311 

You and Mrs. Wallace will doubtless be in- 
terested to know that yesterday (Sunday) aft- 
ernoon a memorial service to Clifford was held 
at the fraternity house. There has never been 
a larger gathering of the men in the history 
of the fraternity, and we all felt that Clif- 
ford was present at the meeting with us once 
again. 

"Jimmie" Brown, who is now in Philadel- 
phia at the University of Pennsylvania, was 
notified on Saturday night late of the meet- 
ing, and came over in the morning to be pres- 
ent at the service. Walter ("Butts") Sutton, 
as fortune would have it, was also in town from 
the seminary at Rochester. It was a distinctly 
impressive service. Sutton, Brown and myself 
gave a few reminiscences of our friendship 
with Cliff, and what he had meant to us, and 
a quartet of the fellows sang *'Face to Face" 
and ''Lead, Kindly Light." Dr. Hogue hap- 
pened to meet one of the fellows who was go- 
ing, and when he found out the reason of the 
meeting came along, and led in prayer. The 
solemnity of the occasion was heightened by 
the fact that the majority of those present have 
already enlisted in various branches of the gov- 
ernmental service and were merely waiting to 
be called to the colours, and every one felt that 



312 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

he could not be satisfied until the ideals of lib- 
erty for which Cliff so nobly gave his all, 
came to be a real fact, and a number conse- 
crated themselves to see that his life had not 
been spent in vain, and to give theirs also if 
need be, to help bring the victory for freedom 
and democracy. 

Convey my deepest sympathy to Mrs. Wal- 
lace. May the "peace that passeth all under- 
standing" be hers and may her heart rise tri- 
umphant over her grief in the thought of hav- 
ing given a son for such a divine cause. 

Sincerely, 

Francis A. Davis. 

Rugby Rd,, 
Guilford, Md., 
June 3, 1917. 
Dear Dr. Wallace, 

Pi Kappa Chi Fraternity is sending you, 
under separate cover, a set of resolutions which 
were read and adopted at a memorial service 
for Clifford. The resolutions are the formal 
expression of our sorrow that Cliff has gone, 
but they can not hope to express the real loss 
which we older fellows, who knew Cliff well, 
have felt and do feel. But with that sorrow, 
we have, also, a tinge of gladness that he be- 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 313 

longed to us, and belonging to us, that he died 
so noblj^ That feeling was the keynote of the 
memorial service which we held for Clifford. 
On Friday we heard of his death ; on Saturday 
night we decided to hold the service on Sun- 
day; and the next day every Pi Kappa Chi 
man within a radius of 200 miles, excepting 
only three, was gathered to do honour to 
Cliff's memory. It is hard now that he is 
gone, but we think the world a little better 
for his having been in it, and that is man's 
only excuse for living. 

It was our intention to have these resolu- 
tions presented to Cliff's mother by one of the 
members whom we were planning to send to 
your home. Our plans have been changed, 
however, with the death of Cliff's mother, and 
we decided to mail the resolutions to you in- 
stead. It is really useless for us to try to say 
anything to you in your double bereavement, 
and we can only assure you of our truly felt 
sympathy. 

Very sincerely yours, 

Pi Kappa Chi Fraternity, 

Ajllan K. Chalmers, 

President. 



314 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 



IN MEMORIAM 

Lieutenant Clifford Almon Wells 
Killed in Action April 28th, 1917, 

At a Memorial Service held by the 

Pi Kappa Chi Fraternity 

Sunday, May thirteenth, Nineteen hundred 

and seventeen, these resolutions were 

read and adopted: 

Whereas, Our beloved brother, Clifford Al- 
mon Wells, hath been killed in action on the 
great battlefields of France; and 

Whereas, His family hath lost a great and 
noble son; and 

Whereas, The Pi Kappa Chi Fraternity 
hath lost a loyal and splendid brother ; 

And Whereas, 

His Country hath lost an intrepid and ster- 
ling soldier, who eagerly offered and gloriously 
gave his life in the cause of universal justice, 
the liberty of the individual, the rights of hu- 
manity and a durable world peace; 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 315 

Wherefore, be it Resolved, That we, mem- 
bers of the Pi Kappa Chi Fraternity, sharers 
of the heavy sorrow of her who gave the hero 
birth and upon whom the uTeparable loss falls 
in different measure, extend to the stricken 
family of our dead brother in Christ our heart- 
felt sympathy; and be it further 

Resolved, That these resolutions be taken to 
the bereaved family, spread at length upon the 
minutes, and retained in perpetuum among the 
records of this fraternity. 

Allan K. Chalmers, 

President. 



316 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 



EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY THE 
REV. ROBERT STUART MACARTHUR, D.D., LL.D., 
PRESIDENT OF THE BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE, 
TO MR. RICHARD H. EDMONDS, EDITOR OF THE 
"manufacturers' record" of BALTIMORE, 
MD. 

"I am saddened beyond expression at the 
double sorrow which has come to Dr. Wallace. 
Clifford was one of the noblest and manliest 
men I have ever met; and Mrs. Wallace was 
marked by culture and consecration to a very 
« rare degree. I have already written to Dr. 
Wallace." 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 317 



FROM LIEUT. A. R. JONES, P. P. C. L. I. 

School of Mitsketry, 
Hythe, Kent, 

June 17, 1917. 
Dear Dr. Wallace, 

It is with my deepest sympathies that I write 
to tell you with what sorrow I learnt a few 
days ago of the death of Mrs. Wallace. The 
news came as a great shock to me, as it was only 
a few days previous that I heard that Clifford 
had been killed. It has indeed been sad news 
to me, hearing of your double loss ; and to me 
the loss of two very good friends. 

Mrs. Wallace makes one more now, whose 
face I shall miss when I return. Whenever 
I think of Westmount Baptist Church, and 
picture it in my mind, I picture Mrs. Wallace 
sitting in the seat just to our left. 

Clifford I saw several times before he went 
to France, and he always impressed me as 
being a fine, splendid soldier. If all our of- 
ficers had been such as Clifford, then Canada 
would hold an even prouder record than she 
does to-day, for not only could she point to 
their incomparable record in France but also 
to their lofty ideals and most splendid be- 



318 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

haviour while in England. It seems ever the 
same, that the best are taken, and those whom 
we think could be better spared, remain. 
When I think of Herb. Rittenhouse, and El- 
liot Scott and Clifford and others, and think 
of the value such lives as theirs would have 
been to Canada in after years, I realise then 
the price that Canada is paying; a price which 
nothing but honour would justify. 

I would again express to you and yours my 
very deep sympathy in this your double loss. 
Always yours very sincerely, 

Reginald Jones. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 319 



A LETTER FROM THE REVEREND JOHN CLIFFORD, 
D.D., LL.D., THE VENERABLE ENGLISH FREE 
CHURCH LEADER, AFTER WHOM THE WRITER 
OF THESE LETTERS WAS NAMED. 



18 Waldeck Road, 

West Ealing, W„ 
22nd June, 1917, 
Dear Dr. Wallace, 

I am grieved to hear of the afflictions through 
which you are passing. It is indeed a heavy 
trial for you in this sore time. I had not heard 
of the sacrifice of your son in the fight we are 
waging for the more precious spiritual treas- 
ures of humanity. It is a great offering you 
have made, and is not forgotten of God. And 
I fear the tragic loss of your beloved and cher- 
ished wife may be, though not so directly, yet 
indirectly a part of the same sacrifice you have 
been called to make for the Kingdom of God. 
May He graciously sustain you! He surely 
will! For "He is mindful of His own," there 
in the land of perfect blessedness, and here in 
the school of discipline and preparation. "His 
love in times past," to us and to our brothers 
and sisters in their griefs, makes it impossible 



320 MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND 

to doubt the sufficiency of His grace or ques- 
tion its immediate availability. 
With sincere deep sympathy, 

I am affectionately yours, 

John Clifford. 



MONTREAL TO VIMY RIDGE AND BEYOND321 



A CARD OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

On the morning of that fatal Friday^ the 
eighteenth day of May, my wife and I decided 
that the acknowledgment of the messages of 
sympathy relating to the death in action of 
our Clifford should be engraved upon a 
pure white card bearing our names. 

It is left to me to do that which we intended 
to do; but now the message is sent in answer to 
a far greater number of messages, and its 
meaning is intensified by a second and even 
more terrible bereavement. 

Her name is attached to this message because 
our lives have been as one life: the message is 
ours and not mine only. 

These are the words chosen the eighteenth 
day of May: 

The sympathy of our friends has been 
very precious to us in our great trouble. 
We earnestly thank you, 

Frances Barbara Moule Wells 
O, C, S. Wallace 



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